


Harry Potter and the Best Doggo

by SlytherinLife



Series: Self-Insert Harry Potter [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus Harry Potter, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter has a plan, Harry gives out hugs for free, Harry is still not going to swear, Occasional use of doggolingo, Reincarnation, Remus Lupin Needs a Hug, Self-Insert, Sirius Black Needs a Hug, Sirius Black is best puppers, Slytherin Harry Potter, Smart Harry Potter, The SI is Harry Potter, do not post on other sites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 77,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24767512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinLife/pseuds/SlytherinLife
Summary: Ah yes, third year. The year that has the least to do with Voldemort yet so much happens. Too bad for Hogwarts they have a reckless Slytherin who is getting tired of taking baby steps. Slow and steady may win the race, but there's nothing wrong with taking a few shortcuts. What's the worst that could happen? Besides, if Hogwarts won't actively give Harry a normal year, he'll make one for himself.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood & Harry Potter, Sirius Black & Harry Potter, too many to list - Relationship
Series: Self-Insert Harry Potter [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1395997
Comments: 632
Kudos: 2008
Collections: A Labyrinth of Fics, Good Self Insert Fiction





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, the wait is now over. Onward to book 3!

I laid on my stomach, reading my potions book in complete boredom. I’ve grown numb to the vinegary taste in the roof of my mouth and I just need to get the remaining ingredients for the potion. Magical stuff like the moth has been ordered and is stored away in my black hole of a bag, but I need to get my hands on the dew and spoon. Then there’s Sirius...

The news on Sirius has been sparse and sporadic. The muggle news would claim they saw him while the Daily Prophet has been continuously updating itself, changing Sirius’ picture and occasionally have sketches of predictions of what he may look like now. At some point, he was believed to be in London but then vanished before the Aurors could find him.

Sansa has been furious since this whole thing started.

Once a week she would screech and stress preen my hair until I gave her a letter for Sirius so she could go on her hunt, only to return even more pissed off with the letter still attached to her leg. She was positively miffed at the world and one night while my relatives were out having dinner somewhere, she let out a tirade of screeches and hisses. I could almost _hear_ the rant.

_“How DARE someone refuses my letter! How dare he run away from me! ME! I go out of my way to find him and he runs away without letting me finish my job!”_

If she could talk, that is exactly what I believe she would have told me. She and I had a cuddle session that night. I think Vernon nearly had a heart attack when he checked on me that same night and found a very aggressive-looking owl blocking my face from the hallway light. 

But today was a boring day filled with a vinegar taste on my tongue that would not leave. I only had to keep the mandrake leaf in my mouth for another week and then I can take it out on August first, the day after my birthday. A small part of me wanted to test my luck in asking Vernon to sign my Hogsmead permission slip but… Nah. I have a better chance of convincing Snape to let me go than convincing that guy to sign something for my school.

“Boy!” The telltale call of a wild Aunt Petunia screeched down the stairs. “Come down here, now!”

“Oh goodie, something to do…” I mutter lazily to myself, rolling off my bed and readjusting my clothes. Petunia had dropped me off in the middle of a shopping district so she could tend to Dudley’s needs while I was free to do whatever I want. Conveniently there was a store having sales on shirts. 

While Petunia barely had a bag for Dudley after three hours of shopping, I had four.

I went into the kitchen and looked at the mess before me. It was all of Petunia’s “fine” dishes. None of it was what I really considered vintage and it all had “Made In China” stamped on the bottoms of the cups and plates. 

“Marge is coming over next week and I want everything polished and clean before she comes here,” Petunia ordered, conflicted at the thought of her sister-in-law coming here and touching her fancy dishes.

“So… what exactly did you want me to do? I thought I wasn’t allowed to touch this stuff?” I asked blankly. The last time I touched one of the cups because Dudley knocked it over, I was locked away in my cupboard for so long I screamed until they had to let me out before someone called the police.

Hey, I was four.

“You are going to be washing everything while I polished and I am going to keep a close eye on you.” Petunia shoved a dinner plate in my hand and pointed to the sudsy sink.

The next hour was spent cleaning a ridiculous amount of dishes for three people -ha, like I’m going to eat on the same dishes- then came the silverware. I sat down at the table and slowly began to polish the forks and knives when the living room phone rang and Petunia left to answer it.

While she’s talking to one of her friends, or I assume the caller is her friend, I reach over and grab a spoon. Then pause, then flip it over so I could look at the back. This is real silver.

…

Well… I wonder if Dobby wouldn’t mind doing a little job for me.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Where is it?!” Petunia threw open my door the next day, fire threatening to spray out her mouth in a barrage of unbridled rage. Not waiting for me to respond, she stormed over to my desk and started throwing things out of the drawers which caused Sansa to hop onto the window to get away from her.

“Where is what?” I tilted my head as I got off my bed and crossed my arms. I watched this woman, after emptying out my desk onto the floor, take my handbag and plunge her hand into it.

She was stopped when she got her wrist into the bag. Huh, guess it only works when I use it? Or it’s just muggle proof? I’m not complaining, it is fun watching her try and find items in a bag that appeared empty.

“I am missing a silver spoon and _you_ were the last one to have your hands on them!” Petunia hissed. “Turn out your pockets.”

“I don’t have your spoon and if I wanted my own set I’d just get a magicked set from Diagon Alley.” I rolled my eyes and began to turn out my pockets, mostly filled with candy wrappers I was going to throw away before bed today. My aunt, unfortunately, was not pleased with this.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

Dudley came up the stairs to get something from his room to find a weird sight.

I was leaning against the hallway wall, arms crossed over my chest, wearing only a pair of Captain America’s shield boxers, my glasses, my anklet, and the basilisk fang necklace. Petunia did an almost perfect strip search, thinking I would hide the silver spoon in a pocket or in my shoes. It took five minutes of arguments to keep my aunt from seeing more than I was already uncomfortable with her seeing. I will admit that her discovery of the mandrake leaf stuck to the roof of my mouth was amusing, to say the least.

My eyes shifted to look at my cousin and glared at him. "Move along, Dudley. Nothing to see here."

"Why are you only in pants?" Dudley asked dumbly.

"Your mum is raiding my room for something. I don't see- Ah! Aunt Petunia, don't open-"

A chocolate frog leapt out of its box.

"That…" I let out a sigh and grabbed it while Petunia was screeching about me keeping a frog. "I thought my mum brought stuff from her school home. It's a chocolate frog." I proved my point by mercilessly biting off the frog's head, showing a hollowed body. 

"Well," Petunia huffed. "I want you out of this room until I'm done looking. You might hide the spoon while I'm not looking!"

"Aunt Petunia, I don't _have_ your stupid spoon. You're free to keep looking but can I at least have my clothes back so I can… Oh, I don't know… go for a walk?" I then found my shirt, trousers, and shoes thrown at my head. "Oh, and be careful if you open Scabbers’ cage. If he flees, I have my owl trained to immediately catch him." 

I retreated to the bathroom to put my clothes back on and retie my hair back into a ponytail. My clothes consisted of a simple, green t-shirt with no pattern and black cargo shorts with my new trainers. Petunia once complained when she did laundry that most of my clothes were black and I’m tempted to find a goth store to spite her disdain for my lack of patterns. She can rip my love of plain clothes from my cold, dead body. I will wear patterns when I am good and ready! 

Once I was satisfied that I was perfectly presentable for the public view and I managed to steal away my handbag, I was out of the house!

Petunia can turn the room upside down for all I care. I don’t have the spoon… on me, that is.

The vinegar taste seemed less potent as I smirked at the house. Dobby’s note happily resting in my bag.

There was little activity this warm afternoon. It was a workday, so most of the workers were out until evening and because Sirius Black was last reported a few miles away from here, mothers were keeping their children either indoors or in their own yard. I still am baffled that the idea of him having a gun was such a dangerous thing, Vernon has a gun. Why aren’t the muggle police doing anything?

“Guess I have more to learn about this country than I thought…” I muttered to myself. I found the neighborhood park with little problem and it was empty due to over-protective parents fearing Sirius Black would appear like a ghost and spirit away their souls. 

I snorted at my own thoughts. Then a twig broke. It’s always a twig.

I look towards the noise. Across the street was a scruffy, skinny, but very large dog with the blackest fur I have ever seen on a canine. The dog was like someone took the build of a German Shepard then added a dump truck of wolf on it. It was staring at me, still as stone and ears turned facing me. 

‘Is it him? Does he recognize me?’ I didn’t show my scar in the picture I sent him as I never expose it in pictures except for the one with Lockhart. 

I didn’t pull out my wand, instead, I slowly began to walk to it. Just in case this was a feral dog I didn’t want to scare it by running head-on into something that was easily 90lbs of pure dog. The dog gave a very human-like head tilt and I tried to speak softly. “Hi puppers, my name is Harry… Are you friendly?”

The dog straightened up and I froze, heart hammering and suddenly regretting getting close to a possible wild animal, no matter the chances. But instead of becoming aggressive, the dog lowered its posture. It tucked its tail and flatten its ears. It took a couple steps towards me and when I got within arm's length it flopped to the ground, exposing its skinny belly.

‘Okay… this is either Sirius trying to not scare me, or the world’s fastest submissive dog.’ I mused to myself as I carefully gave the dog a few experimental scratches. “Hi buddy, you’re really friendly. Such a good… Uh, let’s see… boy! What a good boy!”

The dog stiffened then rolled to lay on its stomach, tail tucked close to its privates. 

‘Definitely Sirius.’ I pressed my clean hand -Merlin his fur is filthy- against my mouth and let out an amused snorty laugh. “You don’t look like you have a home, do ya boy?” Sirius let out a pitiful whine, licking the hand I was using for petting. “Hmm… if I take you home… Aunt Petunia will be crossed with me. But then again… she did strip search me looking for a bloody spoon which I didn’t have… in my room.”

A Slytherin grin crossed my face. “I’m sure Hogwarts won’t mind me taking another pet. Sansa doesn’t get used much except for mail and I’m positive Scabbers is going to keel over this year…” I stood up and slammed my hands on my legs excitedly, increasing my happy tone. “You wanna come home with me boy? Do ya?”

Sirius leapt to his feet and gave several enthusiastic barks, startling me with the sheer volume he could produce. He quickly quieted down once he realized I was frightened by the noise and gave timid licks to my hand, trying to once again look like a very docile and harmless dog.

“If I’m going to take you home, I’ll need to make sure we have everything you’ll need for Hogwarts. We’ll need to train you too, otherwise, Dumbledore might say no to me keeping you…” I chuckled, starting to walk down the sidewalk. Sirius trotted beside me, attentively listening to everything I had to say as if they were the most important thing for him to hear right now. 

I chatted about the most random stuff to Sirius, the latest movies -that I never got to watch in this lifetime-, books I’ve read or wanted to read, and occasionally praising him for being a good boy when a muggle walked by. They always gave me suspicious stares. A child wearing gaudy jewelry and walking with a mangy dog nearly had this one lady not-so-quietly ask her husband if they should alert the police.

“Don’t you just hate it when people can’t mind their own business?” I asked rather loudly to Sirius. I snuck a glance to see the lady sputtering like a broken tug boat and storm off with her husband.

I made a quick stop to a corner store and bought a super meaty sandwich, a simple lead, and a collar for Sirius. He quickly scarfed down the food once I made sure it was safe to eat and I attached the collar and lead to his neck. “Sorry, boy, but I don’t think I can take you inside the pet store without these.” Sirius, to his credit, took the collar in stride and nuzzled my hand with his nose. 

The final stretch to the pet store was uneventful and peaceful. I’ve only been here once to help Mrs. Figgs buy cat food, which was the only reason I knew this store existed in the area. The store was everything to expect from a pet shop in a snobbish neighborhood: Screeching birds and the undistinguished animal smell, the floors and walls were an unfriendly white and the environment screamed “buy or get out” which sent a chill down my spine and I tightened my grip on Sirius’ lead.

At the counter was a sixteen-year-old brunette dressed in the latest 90s fashion and too much eye make-up. She looked at me with the stare of a hundred teenage judgments and my “dog” even more so.

I approached her of course.

“Excuse me, miss?” I asked politely but only got an annoyed stare. “My uncle and I adopted this dog from the pound and I was wondering-”

“We don’t do charities, kid.”

An eye twitches and my smile tightens. “I was wondering if I can pay for my dog to receive a bath and grooming,” I said, trying to remain polite while she rolled her eyes at me and pointed in the direction I guess I’m supposed to go. “Thanks…” I walked away from her, my smile dropping to a scowl once I turned a corner and out of her hearing range so I could whisper out: “Banshee teat.”

I had to stop walking a minute so Sirius could slam his face into the floor in what I assumed to be laughter.

The workers in the pet care section were exponentially more friendly, especially once I showed that I was able to pay for Sirius’ grooming session in cash and to give him the full treatment. Their main stylist had just gotten off her lunch break and was willing to take care of Sirius on the condition that he would be muzzled.

“He seems friendly, but I don’t know how he’ll take to baths and you said you just adopted him.” The stylist explained to me in a gentle tone, preparing her materials needed to beautify Sirius.

“Understandable, he’s been calm since I got him so I dunno if he’s just a well-behaved dog or scared.” I shrugged my shoulders. I decided to be the one to put the muzzle on him, which he took with reluctance but then went into Good Boy mode and jumped into the bathing station. “I think the pound had planned on putting him down. He’s so skinny but was so sweet when I went in to adopt I just had to take him.”

“Poor thing, he does look like he needs some love… has he itched at all?” The stylist asked, implying that she wants to know about fleas. She had a large glob of dog shampoo on her hand and began to scrub the black fur. 

“No. I haven’t seen him scratch since I adopted him,” Either Sirius didn’t have fleas, or he was really good at not scratching. I’d bet my vault on the latter. I cringed as the water and the suds turned brown from whatever gunk was in Sirius’ fur. Eventually, the stylist began to use another type of soap and also used a brush to get it through the trickier parts. She muttered something about fleas while also praising Sirius for behaving. Not once did he whine.

“Did you want me to trim his fur at all?” The stylist asked politely an an hour later as she began to rinse off Sirius’ fur, the water now coming out clear.

“Only if there are any matted parts, please.” As it turns out, Sirius didn’t have any matted parts.

Once his fur is dried and he’s given a treat for good behavior. I re-clipped his lead and went to the grooming counter to pay.

“Oh, he looks much better than an hour ago!” The worker, a middle-aged lady with greying brown hair and kind blue eyes chuckled and accepted my money. She counted the bills and smiled at me kindly, “If you need any assistance, you come and get me okay? I’m the manager on shift and have owned several large breeds in my life. Your’s looks like a German Shepherd.”

“Thank you, I still need to shop for supplies. Do you have a recommendation on pet foods for me?”

“One moment,” The lady picked up the phone and dialed a number. I waited while she talked to the person about Sirius -how he’s skinny and probably can’t handle anything heavy- she wrote some things down on a notepad then walked off. A few minutes go by and she returns with a trolley that has wet canned food and a large bag of medical dog food.

“I called up our store vet and he recommended these. They’ll help fatten him up if you’re not going to do a raw diet. He wanted me to give you these instructions.”

I took the trolley and notes with a sincere “thank you” and parted ways with her to begin my shopping. I filled the trolley with essentials: food and water dishes, brush, toys that Sirius deemed good enough to play with -mostly throwable stuff, go figure-, and I was going to pick a doggie bed but… Nah, he can sleep on my bed.

But when we arrived at the section with leads and collars we were reunited with our new friend. Specifically, she’s been following me for the last minute and I’m just now staring at her long enough to make her uncomfortable.

The rude employee approached me. “Are you looking for assistance, sir?” She said sir like it was gum on the bottom of her shoe.

I blinked at her stupidly, an arm outstretched to pick up a nice black and white checkered collar. “No thank you… Um… Holly. I’m certain I can find things for my dog by myself.” I said, reading the nametag on her uniform. Holly raised her eyebrow and gave me a once-over to make sure I was being serious.

“Do you even know how to take care of a dog? Have you owned a dog before?”

“I own an owl and a rat,” I supplied, reading the instructions for one of the head-harnesses to give off the illusion that I’m teaching Sirius to not pull the lead.

“So you have no experience raising a dog? Especially one as big as yours?”

“Please leave me alone, I don’t have to justify my pet-parenting skills when I am a kid and you’re a teenager. My guardians are going to be the primary caretaker of him anyway,” The last lie came out a bit too sharply. I felt bad because… maybe she’s just overworked or sick of stupid people coming in and buying tiny tanks for their kid’s pet turtle.

Now… where was that one lead I just saw?

“I think I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Holly remarked, making me pause. “Your dog is going to scare other customers, it looks like it’ll bite someone.”

“If you wish for me to leave, please have a manager make that decision,” I examine different leads, comparing the color to Sirius’ fur who remained the goodest of bois and stayed pressed against my leg. “If you are afraid of my dog, why are you standing so close to him? I’m barely holding his lead.”

Holly scoffed and walked off, presumably to get a manager or security. Oh well, I’m not leaving until a manager tells me to go.

“If I have that kind of attitude when I’m her age,” I whisper to Sirius, “please have someone punch me.”

Sirius scoffed.

Holly returns with the middle-aged lady and points at me, a teenager trying to decide if I wanted a green lead with argyle patterns or the black one with skulls and Jack-O-Lanterns on it with a noiseless dog laying at my feet.

Just as I put the Halloweeny one into my trolley, the middle-aged lady started her berating.

“Holly, this is the last time I’m going to tell you this: Stop scaring away customers just because you don’t agree with their decisions as a pet owner!” I had to inhale in my nose to keep a straight face while I watched this teen get ripped a new one. “This boy has done nothing wrong this entire time he’s been here and I haven’t heard a peep out of his dog. Now go back to your post or leave and don’t come back!”

Holly stormed off, red faced from being called out by her boss. The older lady, who I now saw on her name tag was Stephanie, turned to me with an exasperated smile.

“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I understand where she’s coming from. I would hate to see a pet mistreated because the owner didn’t research before getting their new family member,” I respond smoothly, feeling Sirius looking up at me.

Stephanie sighed, her shoulders relaxing. "Well, enjoy the rest of your shopping dear. Just look for me if you need help." With that, she turned around and walked away.

After about ten minutes of extra shopping, I went to pay at the till and found Stephanie waving me over to hers while Holly was working with a couple that was buying some fish. 

“Does this store have um… a dog tag maker?”

“Of course, right by the door! If you want to buy one the code will be on your receipt.”

“Sure! I’ll get one of the round tags, please.” I paid for the goods, Sirius letting out a whine when he saw the total. “Not bad, didn’t even spend £200.”

I lied about having to put these items in my uncle’s car and took the trolley outside the store. There were no outside cameras, at least none that I could see. Honestly, muggle security systems are not the most subtle of things. I'm more concerned with someone following me. 

“Sit,” I ordered Sirius while opening my handbag. Checking to make sure no one is watching, I proceed to unceremoniously shove things into the tiny bag. It was like a vacuum, anything that was larger than the bags opening seemingly shrunk as I pushed it in then vanished into the void. On multiple occasions, Sirius seemed to go borderline bonkers over the fact that I have an Undetectable Extension charm handbag, it only went into overdrive when I finished the process with the overly large bag of dog food. This was probably a waste of money but… I can just donate it to shelters.

We re-entered the store and went to the engraving machine and I just… stared at it, then at Sirius, then back at the machine.

“Shoot… I didn’t think this through.” I rubbed my face then looked down at the dog at my feet. “What am I supposed to name you?”

I got an amused face back.

“I’m not naming you Shadow or Blackie, too common… I could name you as a reference to something… but then I’d have to explain to every single one of my friends why I picked a muggle joke…” I pondered over several possible names. “Fenrir? Wait- no, don’t remind me. Bad choice. I’m sorry, please stop looking so offended!” 

I took a breath and put the tag in the machine. I’ll just… put in the first name that came to mind.

Several minutes later, we were out of the store with the round, metal tag clenched tightly in my hand. When we got to the park, I stopped and took a seat on one of the benches. I reached into the bag and pulled out the black and white checkered collar and replaced the cheap one I had put on Sirius earlier that day. Once that was snug, I clipped on the dog tag with a smile.

“Well boy, you’re stuck with me. As I told you, my name is Harry Potter and I… heh, I go to a magical school. I’m paranoid, overprotective, reckless, and so far have not gone a year without either a concussion or vomiting. Charms take forever for me to learn and I’m pretty sure I smell like vinegar thanks to a friend of mine. But… yeah, I’m bad at introductions.” I coughed into my hand and ruffled his black fur. 

“Welcome to the family, Phantom.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns about owning a dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer at the bottom AN about dogs.

All in all, I think Petunia handled me bringing Phantom home rather splendidly.

_“WHAT IS THAT THING DOING IN MY HOUSE?!”_

I was expecting my ears to bleed if I’m going to be honest.

I stood at the foot of the stairs, quietly waiting for my aunt to get all of the steam out of her system and venting her -albeit justifiable- concerns. What if the dog is diseased? Makes a mess out of the house? Bites one of them? You’re just going to train it to attack my Dudley, aren’t you?! The questions go on and on to the point where I was tempted to brew her a cup of tea for her throat.

When Petunia stopped to catch her breath, I finally spoke. “Are you done?” It was asked with a blank tone and a raised eyebrow. “Do you want me to make you some tea for your throat, Aunt Petunia? We can discuss this if you’re done screaming at me.”

“Y-You… you’re not taking this seriously!” She screeched with a sharp crack, the veins in her neck prominent because of how skinny she is. 

“Aunt Petunia,” I start with a sigh, bending sideways to scratch Phantom’s massive ears. Such soft sound flaps, absolutely love this. “Phantom is not diseased, I took him to a groomer and he was also checked by a veterinarian. I plan on training him just like how my owl is trained and I am going to train him to be a guard dog, not an attack dog. German Shepherds work best as guarding breeds anyway.”

“That _thing_ looks like a wolf!”

I reach behind Phantom and unhook his lead. Petunia began to scream, causing Dudley to finally scramble over to see what the noise is coming from. Vernon is still not home yet, but I’ll assume he’s being held up at his company. 

Phantom doesn’t leave his spot. In fact, he pressed against my leg and looked up at me with a “How do you deal with this?” look in his eyes. 

“See, Aunt Petunia? Well behaved, hasn’t barked, or tried to lunge at you. Why is Marge allowed to bring her… ‘dog’ when it makes a mess everywhere it goes?”

“That’s different!”

“How? I’m not the one that’s going to be giving my dog brandy with supper and I’m not cleaning up if it poops around the house,” Petunia’s eyes widen with horror at the thought. “Phantom is staying. I’m going to be at my friends’ house for the rest of the summer not long after Marge arrives. I’ll clean up Phantom's messes and we’ll mostly be outside training him…” I leaned back to look out a nearby window. Mrs. Poole was inching to our fence with caution. “You might want to explain to your neighbor why you were screaming so much.”

Petunia’s face paled and she rushed out the door to make sure no one called the police. Dudley hobbled over and tried to pet Phantom, who by sheer survival instincts hid behind my legs.

“Why do you get a dog? I want a dog!”

“Because I know how to spend my money?” I theorized sarcastically. “If you want a dog you’re going to have to convince your mum and dad that you can take care of it. Come on boy!” I pat my hip while looking at Phantom, rushing up the stairs which he happily chased after me. Dudley tried to yell something about Phantom, but I was already in my room by the time the thought of him trying to steal my dog even crossed my mind. Oh well, now to settle my godfather turned dog in my room.

My… very messy bedroom.

“What the… I can’t swear.” My right eye would not stop twitching. Everything was haphazardly thrown across the room, even my school supplies. Though Petunia had the sense to keep the dangerous-looking stuff on my bed. Clothes laid on the floor -which had not been cleaned all summer- and some of it I recognized from my laundry hamper; most of the pockets were turned inside out. Books piled high by my shelf, some of the thicker novels laid open, spine up and I swear some pages are bent. 

Scabbers’ cage was pure anarchy. He was trying, and failing, to put his nest back together while the bedding was littered on my desk. His food dish was turned over and some bits of his food was in places that should not have food, including my bedroom floor.

Sansa looked like she wanted to rip out someone’s eyeballs while she rested on her perch, which was now on the wrong side of the desk.

Petunia _really_ wanted to find that spoon it seems.

Pushing clothes and books aside with my feet, I move my cauldron and potions ingredients to the opposite end of my bed and point at the clear spot while looking at Phantom. “Up.”

The bite in my voice seemed to make him move faster than normal.

“Stay,” I commanded and grabbed my laundry hamper. Not caring to do a smell test, I chucked every single clothing item into it and hauled it to the laundry room where I prepared the load. If Petunia has issues with that, then she can answer why I found dirty clothes mixed with my clean ones... in front of her neighbors. My walk back to my bedroom was full of heavy, violent stomps and a look of murder was shot in Dudley’s direction when he tried to say anything.

Phantom wisely did not move from the bed, sitting still as a statue while I flew around my room like a tornado to clean things up. Books alphabetised and compacted on the shelf to re-flatten pages. Sansa’s perch returned to its original position by the window and then… my school supplies.

“Book… book… cauldron… quill…” I muttered to myself, carefully putting things back where they belong and keeping an itemized list of every single object I own. If something went missing there would be hell to pay. Thank Merlin I’m paranoid and keep everything of true value in my bag.

Speaking of my bag…

Once my room was more or less neat -save for Scabbers’ cage- I began to remove all of the objects I had purchased for Phantom and set them in proper places around the room. The bowls sat nicely under the window, by my desk with the food slouched in the corner. Toys and his lead laid in another corner, while I gave Phantom a teddy to nom on but he chose to cuddle it instead.

‘Not very good at acting like a dog, Sirius,’ I thought to myself and let out a sigh. Throwing my arms into the air I stretched until I heard a satisfying _pop_ then slouched with a groan. “Never let your aunt search your room without you there, you end up with this.”

I reached out and scratched behind Phantom’s ear. Such soft ears.

“But… I guess finding you was worth my room being turned upside down…” I bend his head down so I could give his forehead a big ol’ smooch, one of the noisy ones I always give Sansa. His tail wags and I get rewarded with slobber on my cheek. “... We’re going to have to work on the kisses part, blech.”

Behind me, Scabbers made a bunch of rustling noises in his cage.

I spun on my heel and went to his cage, putting on my dragonhide glove, “Aw, is your cage all messy? Come here” I cooed with a shark-like grin, reaching in and grabbing the rat. Phantom growls, jumping off the bed and slowly approaching me with bared teeth. “Yeah yeah, I don’t like him either but I’m sure Ron would love to see him. Isn’t that right, Scabbers? You get to see your old family. Won’t that be swell, lil’ fella?”

Phantom's ears were facing me as I spoke to Scabbers in that baby voice we humans use when speaking to pets.

With little care I took out my potions cauldron and set him at the bottom, putting my heaviest textbook on top and leaving only enough space for air. I picked up his cage and paused, looking at Phantom with a raised eyebrow. “Can you be mature for the few minutes I’m gone?”

Phantom huffed then growled at the cauldron. Good enough for me!

“Sansa, you’re in charge, honey!” I called out to my beautiful bird and went outside to hose down and clean out Scabbers’ cage with some soap. Since I have to clean things up I might as well go all the way. Putting my clothes in the dryer, I returned upstairs with a clean cage with fresh bedding. An old winter hat was added in for him to rip apart and make his nest. I returned and what do I find? Phantom trying to nudge the textbook off the cauldron while Sansa screeched at him. 

“Really?”

Phantom paused then turned his head towards me. His ears laid flat and he slowly walked towards while avoiding eye contact. Sansa puffed up and let out an undignified screech.

“I swear, it’s like I’m the only adult around here. Scabbers is scared of everything, Sansa has a crush on Draco’s owl-” Sansa gave me an offended look, “and you can’t behave for more than a few minutes. I sound like Hermione…” I groan and return Scabbers to his cage and he immediately goes to remaking his nest. I'll need to remind myself to cover his cage before I sleep.

I spent the next hour “training” Phantom. He reacted to vocal commands a little too well and it took a few tries for him to register hand commands, but other than that my godfather is doing a fantastic job acting like a dog. By the time Marge comes over, I want him to be able to act like a fully obedient dog just so I can rub it in her face that a child can raise a better dog than she can.

And Phantom looks like a mutt too. Ooh, the scandal of it all!

Vernon barged into my room mid-teaching Phantom a hand gesture for where I wanted him to be and began to scream in my face. He didn’t care about the wolf-looking canine growling in the corner of my room, nor did he care about the snowy owl that perched on my shoulder.

“HOW DARE YOU BRING THAT RUDDY DOG INTO _MY_ HOUSE?!” Vernon kept shouting and screaming, not letting me get a word out the entire time. It was very much like Petunia’s rant except more insults were hurled my way. If I actually had the brain capacity of a 12- soon to be- 13-year-old they might have affected me.

Frankly, I’m just fascinated by how his skin changed colors. I wonder if the tin-foil society would be interested in seeing if my uncle is part chameleon?

“Phantom,” I finally spoke when my uncle took a breath. I snapped my fingers and pointed at the spot on my right and Phantom bounded over and sat facing my side, looking up at me and doing the occasional lick of his lips.

“I am not paying to take care of that thing!”

“You won’t have to, he’s my dog and my responsibility.”

“I better not see it when Marge comes over!” Vernon spat- ew it landed on my cheek.

“Yes, Uncle Vernon, you won’t see him when she comes over. You’ll just see Ripper.” I promised halfheartedly. I was never going to get the Hogsmeade permission slip signed by my aunt or uncle, so I have very little to gain by buttering them up to the idea.

Vernon grumbled something about me having too much freedom to do as I please then left. He slammed my door shut with enough force that, for a split second, I was mildly concerned that he would break the hinge.

Only mildly though.

“Don’t tell them I can’t do magic outside of school,” I whispered to Phantom with a chuckle. “I haven’t told them yet and my reputation has been going strong for three summers now.”

By the end of the day, I was exhausted and after I took Phantom out potty -who was adamant about doing his business where I could not see him-, casting the Animagus charm when he wasn’t near, and brushing my teeth, I was ready to sleep. Now that my clothes are clean and put away, I tossed an old shirt over Scabber's cage as per usual. I sent Phantom onto my bed and climbed into the covers after him, snuggling by him and curling up slightly.

Until Sansa screeched and began to flap her wings.

I rolled onto my back, bracing myself for 6 pounds of pure bird to land on my stomach. I was pleasantly surprised to discover her landing point was one of the few empty spots on the small bed by my feet, then slowly walked to my head. “Hi, Sansa.”

In the darkness of the room, I could still make out her pure white feathers and glowing amber eyes. Sansa regarded me for a moment, nipped my nose gently then settled down right beside my head. She was careful with each movement, even going as far as to use her beak to remove some of my hair that had ended up under her so she didn’t roost on them. But she wouldn’t close her eyes, focusing on staring past my head.

I looked over at Phantom to find that he was also by my head, looking at Sansa cautiously.

I reach up and pet both of them. “Goodnight you two. Be nice.”

With that, I took off my glasses, leaving the only signs of day clothes I wear being the anklet and my basilisk necklace. I closed my eyes and dreamt of a tyrannosaurus rex being chased by a massive kaiju bunny.

**3rd person POV**

Sirius let out a content sigh as he watched Harry sleep, despite the critical glare of the snowy owl mere inches from his face. It didn’t matter if he slept tonight. He was reunited with Harry. His godson accepted him, a mangy, skinny dog without any hesitation whatsoever! 

There is no way things should have gone this smoothly for him. If anything, Sirius just wanted to see Harry before making his way to Hogwarts but then he stepped on that stick. He thanked whatever divine creature put that stick under his paw.

Does his godson have no sense of fear? A dog could very easily kill him, or at least injure him. But instead, Harry treated Sirius like a lost puppy and took him in… Just like James did. Then again, if Harry was being honest in his letters, then he has killed things far more terrifying than some skinny black dog with a bad case of death breath.

Sirius let out a soft huff and rested his head in his massive paws, looking at the room. It was abnormally tiny for a bedroom. In fact, he grew up with closets bigger than this meager place both in his childhood home and at James’ parents' house. Part of him questioned why Dumbledore thought Lily’s relatives of all people were appropriate enough to take care of Harry. Those stupid muggles don’t even appreciate magic, let alone put aside their pettiness to raise the only child of Petunia’s sister.

He froze for a moment when Harry shifted, waiting patiently for his godson to turn only to end up staring at the back of his head. The snowy owl, who he recalled is named Sansa, seemed to puff up in pride and nestle closer to provide warmth. Familiars are a myth even to wizards, but Sirius was willing to bet his family’s vault that if they were real, Sansa would _definitely_ be Harry’s.

_Scuffle scuffle scuffle_

Sirius tried to swallow his growl. _He_ was in this room. Peter Pettigrew was only a few feet away, trapped in a cage locked by wire and Sirius saw Harry put his wand in his trunk. He could use the wand to reveal Peter’s true form and take him to the Ministry, clear his name, and then kill that rat for betraying his friends. He could take Harry away from this place, raise him right, and raise him good. James and Lily’s child… He would protect his Bambi.

But first… he needs to get to that rat without spooking Harry. 

Even without a wand, the boy has a basilisk fang hanging around his neck and an owl that seems to have the fierce protectiveness of a bear. He also didn't take his godson to be the "ask first, stab later" kind of boy either.

`Don't screw this up, Sirius,’ He thought to himself, carefully getting up which resulted in Sansa shooting her head up from her wing alert. He jumped off the bed when he confirmed Harry was still asleep like a rock. Sirius’ body morphed painlessly back into a man, thin and somewhat twitchy, but perfectly groomed thanks to the treatment done on his canine body.

**Harry’s POV**  
_Thud_ …

I snapped my eyes open when I heard something stepping on my floor, only to have a faceful of feathers. I stayed still, listening to the sound again… It wasn’t Dudley or Vernon, and Petunia wouldn’t be stupid enough to rummage my room again and risk me waking up her husband and son with my screaming. Actually... that sound was wires being moved.

Which could only mean…

Pulling my head away from Sansa, my eyes land on a dark blob. The darkness plus my glasses being on my bedside table did not make a friendly combination to see. 

In hindsight, neither was my brain processing things at least several seconds slower compared to day time.

Scrambling, nearly bumping into Sansa, I slam my hand onto my lamp until I found the chain to turn it on. Without my glasses and the sudden light made me momentarily blind. I blinked my way through the sunspots and found the black figure to be replaced with a much smaller black blob. “Ugh… Phantom, why are you up, boy?”

I stared at him while my hand clumsily searched for my glasses. When sudden clarity was given, I climbed out of bed when I spotted what was in his mouth. “Drop the wand. _Drop it_.” I commanded with a sharp tone, ready to force his jaw open if he didn’t let it go. What was he thinking using my wand?

In the corner of my eye, I spot Scabbers’ cage door wire to be unraveled one loop.

Phantom gave me the wand immediately after hearing my tone and I made quick work to shove it in my bag. “Too late for playtime bud, we can play in the morning. Do you need to go outside?” I motioned my head towards the door, but Phantom huffed and jumped back onto the bed. “Your funeral.”

After getting a scolding from Sansa, I was back in bed.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I woke up before the sun was in the sky, and since it’s summer, that was early.

“Shoot!” I whispered/cursed to myself and flung my body out of bed, which startled Phantom awake. Sansa couldn’t care less and flew to her perch to resume her nap. “Morning babies and Scabbers.”

I reached for my bag and dug out my wand, pointing the tip to my chest, “ _Amato Animo Animato Animagus._ ” I let out a long sigh of relief and put the wand away. The spell doesn’t make it glow when I say the incantation, so I quite literally will not know if it works or not until I drink that stupid potion. The book said that just performing the spell was good enough, glow or no glow, and it was the book McGonagall recommended to me, so I have no choice but to have faith in her.

I wish that Rowling had written in a character going through the process so it was made more clearly.

Hot air was hitting my back and I turned around, only to slam a hand over my mouth to keep from shouting as Phantom was directly behind me. “Merlin! You scared me!”

Phantom whined and licked my hand apologetically, ears flat to his head.

“It’s… it’s okay, Phantom, I’m just… paranoid. This spell does nothing to tell me if I’m doing anything right! The Ministry hasn’t said a word about the spell being casted twice a day and for all I know, the person who invented the spell lied just to mess with people!” I threw my hands up in frustration then slammed them down to my body with a huff. “I just hope my animal isn’t terrible…”

I rub my face. “Well, let’s get back to training you after you and I eat.”

I go over to his bowl and fill it with the necessary amount of food. Phantom sniffs it for a second, hesitates the first few bites but then comes to the conclusion that it’s not half bad and begins to scarf it down. I take his other bowl and head to the kitchen to fill it with water, thinking to myself about this process of becoming an Animagus. There are… billions of species of animals out there. I could be as simple as a cat, or a clever fox, shy rabbit or a powerful rhino. Anything is possible, and because of Rita, I know that insects are on the table too. I wonder if extinct animals are possible? They have to be, it's not like humans wipe out the species and then it's no longer available. Ooooh, to become a woolly mammoth would be fun… I could just… sit on Voldemort.

No one would want to follow a pancake after all.

As I turned on the tap, a small smirk graced my lips. “Just a few more days and I can rid myself of this vinegar taste.”

A few days after that and I am out of this house for the whole summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to make something clear when it comes to Harry owning a dog: I have never owned a dog in my life.  
> I am a cat person through and through. My only experience with caring/raising dogs have been by babysitting family German Shepherds (Hence why Sirius' Animagus form looks like a cross between a GS and a very large wolf in my story).  
> I have a strong bias against dog breeds that have been bred to the point where they have extreme health problems like bulldogs. I also just dislike small breeds in general because owners let them bark and run at you thinking it's "cute". I am speaking from experience here, the amount of times I've had to keep my relatives' German Shepherds away from off-leash chihuahuas is staggering.  
> If you like these breeds of dogs, more power to you. Please do not get offended if/when Harry casually insults Marge's bulldog.
> 
> Also the kaiju bunny is a real dream I had the night before typing this chapter. I had a t-rex chasing me and I opened this large freight crate and this massive bunny came out of it and chased the dino. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is starting to lose his patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a few disclaimers that should be brought up: There is traditionalist thinking regarding house-elves and their enslavement. I am not going to suddenly change a character's canon thoughts and beliefs without some form of confrontation about it first. Since a part of the chapter has Sirius' perspective about house-elves, I just thought that'd be something I should mention because we are in a... rather sensitive cultural climate.  
> Also there is references to bullying and Marge being an awful human in general. Typical stuff.

While the adjustment to suddenly having a dog has been… amusing to say the least. Especially with Dudley adamantly thinking that if he keeps insulting Phantom but with a baby voice, Phantom will come trotting over to him.

“Come on you stupid mutt, come here!” Dudley said in a tone surprisingly similar to the tone I use on my animals. He's been trying this since the second day I got Phantom. “Make him come here, Harry!”

Phantom laid by my feet and with a huff, making sure his butt was facing Dudley. I ignored my cousin, focusing more on weeding Petunia’s garden. That was one of the few chores she will let me do anymore since I am now banned from the kitchen under normal circumstances. Summers have become rather boring at the Dursleys.

I don't know what's worse, being bored or Dudley's constant pestering.

"Make him listen to me! Listen to me you big, stupid, dog!"

My vote is on Dudley.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Happy birthday to me…~” I sang softly to myself early in the morning on July 31st. Phantom's body jerked awake, he whined and reached over to assault my face in kisses. “Ewwwww! Phantom! Get away from me!”

In the struggle to get away from Phantom’s kisses, I ended up rolling on the floor, face-first onto the wooden floor. I laid there for a minute, contemplating how today was going to go. When I had a plan formulated, I pushed myself up and put on my glasses. Ugh... I need to wash my face.

“Okay, Phantom!” I clapped my hands in front of my chest and he jumped to full attention. His head tilt was extremely adorable as he tried to focus on me.

“We have a big day ahead of us so we gotta get our butts moving! Chop chop!” I fill his food dish as usual and rush to my closet to get dressed for the day. Deciding that I really didn’t care what I was gonna wear, I went for a green and black plaid shirt with a black undershirt and a pair of grey jeans. Simple, comfy, and best of all: brand new!

I'm going to roast in the sun, but I've lived in warmer climates!

A knock on my window made me turn my head. There, on the wooden board, stood a bored barn owl which tapped on my window until I went over to open it. “I’m guessing you have my order?”

It slowly blinked then bent down to pick up a small package that rested by its talons, holding it out to me. I gave the owl a tip and some water before it flew off, most likely to find a spot to sleep. Such a lazy owl, but it is day-time after all. I opened the package to examine my order, careful to not let any of the sunlight touch its content then stuffed it into my bag with a relieved sigh. It took the potion store an entire month to find the chrysalis of a Death’s Head Hawk Moth, but it arrived just on time for me to make the Animagus potion tomorrow night. I'm surprised that they're this rare, but at least they got it in time... a chrysalis... of a bug...

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth, oh Hera please don't tell me I touched it!

A violent shiver ran up my spine and I violently rubbed my hands against my shirt. Ignoring the looks my animals were giving me, I slipped on my new trainers and put Phantom on a lead. Next course of action: snag some toast from the disturbingly high pile in the middle of the kitchen table.

“And where are you going?” Petunia asked, eyeing at the toast which I unceremoniously shoved one in my mouth to keep her from taking it away. For good measure, I licked the butter side of the other piece and kept my face straight the entire time. Her face scrunched up like a drying grape. Try taking the toast from me now, Petunia.

“Out,” I replied blankly through a mouthful of bread, Phantom herded me to the side just as Dudley came storming in the kitchen to get his breakfast.

“No, you’re not! You are going to help me cook for tonight!”

A few beats passed, mostly so I could swallow my regretful breakfast. “Do… I get to eat it if I help?” I raised an eyebrow and grabbed a plastic cup to fill with tap water.

“If there are leftovers.” Petunia seemed to believe that was the right thing to say to me. “You know how my Diddlepop is a growing boy and…” She stopped talking, her mouth forming an O shape as a thought finally crossed her mind.

“Unless you can guarantee me a plate, Aunt Petunia, I am not going to help with cooking for you and three… large appetites. I already do the most of the cleaning and gardening, make your son help you. If you want him to find a girlfriend, he should learn how to make nice dinners anyway.” A pause, Phantom begins to pull on his lead to get me walking. “Think it over, if you’re still cooking when I get back from my errands I’ll help.”

I walked out with Phantom and we took a stroll to the nearby store, stopping a few times for Phantom to sniff things like a dog would. I had to tie his lead to a poll with some shade as the store had a strict "no dogs" policy and I wasn't about to anger the owners. I still remember this one time Petunia dragged me to this store to carry the bags, and Marge started screaming at a manager because they would not let Ripper in the store. She had to stay in the car while Petunia and I shopped.

I tried to keep my shopping short, just grab what I needed and leave. Good thing too, because some of the boys from Dudley’s gang were near and they were showing strong interest in Phantom.

“Come on…” I grab Phantom’s lead and quickly lead him away before the boys can recognize me. I’m not the skinny, scruffy haired boy they saw last time. I avoided them last summer and I plan on avoiding them again.

We reached a secluded area and I pulled out some dog toys and treats for Phantom in my bag. Just in the case that the professors wanted proof that Phantom is a trained dog, I might as well make memories where Phantom is displaying signs of obedience training.

I unclasped Phantom's lead and threw a tennis ball.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I’m regretting not contacting the Weasleys sooner.

My first interaction with Marge was having her overly heavy suitcase shoved in my face, which I held with reluctance. It was an ugly, muddy, floral pattern with the texture of... what is this stuff called again? It felt like a cross between a rattan chair but the tightly woven technique of a Persian rug. I felt dirty just touching it.

“Oh, there is my wonderful nephew!” Marge squealed with a disgustingly high amounts of affection as she walked to Dudley and covered his face with kisses. My cousin ignored her, focusing more on the telly. Mid-eye roll my presence was noticed and the tone was about as enthusiastic as I'd expected. “Oh, you’re still here.”

“Naturally, I live here,” I stated calmly, wondering if I should have added spicy substances to my mashed potatoes I had made. Of course, I helped Petunia cook when I got back. Her side dishes are terrible half of the time and she puts way too much fatty substances in them. I still felt waves of joy remembering how she winced every time I hit the steaks with a tenderizing mallet. Hopefully, I made enough food for there to be some for me- wait that dress on her looks larger than the last time I saw her.

“Don’t use that tone with me, boy. You should be grateful you were even allowed to stay here,” Marge commented back, turning to Petunia and saying loudly, “If he landed on my doorstep he would have been dropped at an orphanage.”

No one in this house seems to understand that I would have preferred that. I'd like to think I would make a wonderful Voldermort 2.0... minus the Hitler and more of the "mwahahahahaha"-type evil.

“Oh, boy.” Marge snapped her fingers in my direction, making my eye twitch. “Pay attention when I'm talking to you. Be careful with that bag. If I find anything missing I’ll teach you a lesson.”

‘Why would I want your undergarments in the first place?’ I thought to myself with a smirk as I went up the stairs. I heard Marge just complaining about how I look like a punk and why is my hair long and blah blah blah. She’s lucky I don’t want Phantom to seem aggressive. Speaking of aggressive, I roughly shoved Ripper out of my way. Not with enough force to hurt him -I'm not _that_ cruel-, but enough to make him slide on the hardwood floor.

After I put Marge’s luggage in her room, I went to mine and began to pack. Phantom was resting on my bed, glaring at Scabbers' covered cage as usual, then glanced at me with interest as I was making sure everything was ready to go.

“I’m giving them one chance to be civil, just one. If they can’t, we’re leaving and going to the Leaky Cauldron until Fred and George’s family get back from Egypt.” I closed my trunk’s lid with a harsh _slam_. Downstairs, I heard Vernon trying to explain the sudden sound to Marge. “No matter what, stay up here until I whistle for you.”

Phantom gave the equivalent of a nod then rested his head on top of his paws, giving me large, shiny eyes.

"And stay away from Scabbers. Sansa is in charge."

Phantom huffed while Sansa puffed up in pride.

I left the room and sat on the stairs, out of view from the dining room but in view of the kitchen. I made enough side dishes for a party of ten. While I didn’t expect to get any of the meat, the moment Marge filled her plate I began to question if I was going to get anything tonight. The question echoed like a scream in a cavern once Vernon collected his plate. There are days where, sometimes, I feel like I'm too harsh on the Dursleys and their weight. I have vague memories of my past life and questioning myself: Were the Dursleys actually overweight, or was it a case of the author using harsh language to get her point across, much like Pansy with her supposed "pug nose"? I would wonder if, for some strange reason, Rowling was just using their fatness as her idea of an "irredeemable" characteristic and used every stereotype in the book to make them worthy of disdain.

No, no they really were just unlikable people. The same could be said about all of Dudley's friends. Dudley is the fattest of the group yet, they all seemed to feed on each other's stupidity like it was all-you-could-eat Pixy Stixs. I think I have a bias for Petunia, only because she's my mother's sister and I have seen her kinder side when no one is around.

I locked eyes with Petunia and frowned. Her eyes shifted to the table and began to prepare Dudley’s plate. It was hard to see, but as I watched her I saw her put small portions of food on a less fancy, more commonplace plate. Once the table was served, I heard her excuse herself to powder her nose and she came to me with the plate.

“Leave this in your room and clean it when everyone distracted with drinks, not a moment sooner,” Petunia ordered, shoving the plate into my hands. I sat there wide-eyed at my aunt then looked down at the plate. Potatoes, cooked vegetables, a dinner roll and even a small piece of steak. It wasn't the greatest of cuts, but it was meat nonetheless. “Behave tonight.”

“I will if _she_ does…” I muttered, noticing the lack of utensils and used the vegetables to scoop up the potatoes. Petunia didn’t say anything and returned to the table. I looked back at the table and bit my lower lip, ducking my head. Maybe I should have thanked- no, no I helped prepare the meal, she was going to let me go the night without eating.

Once dinner was done and the alcohol was being served to Marge, I took up the role of cleaner. I didn’t pay much mind to what Marge was saying, it was always the same stuff about her many many dogs that I’d bet good money were bred illegally based on the fake pearls around her neck. Real breeders don’t give their dogs brandy and leftover… what is this sauce that Petunia used for the meat? Surely there aren't any onions in this stuff.

“What’s with that look?” Marge asked me in an offended tone, her cheeks turning a bit on the rosy side.

“It’s my face.” The best way to survive her visits is to be blank. Do not feel anything, do not respond to anything. Just a few more days, Harry. A few...

“Hmph. Can’t fix that then, hopeless case.”

More... days...

...

Have you _looked_ in a mirror, lady!? You’re not winning Miss. Great Britain anytime soon!

I suddenly became aware of the presence by my legs, noticeable by only the smell of brandy floating upwards. My head lowered and there was Ripper, one of his hind legs up and his torso aimed for my shoe. My new, comfy shoes.

“ _I will castrate you and feed your precious organ to my dog_ ,” I whispered to the creature in Parseltongue, soft enough that Marge didn’t hear as she was gossiping about one of her customers. Ripper stopped, licked his chops then quickly put down his leg. He turned tail and ran back to Marge and far away from me. I know he didn’t understand me, but even Ripper knows not to mess with a snake that’s ready to bite.

"Where did you send him, Vernon?” Marge asked, taking a hearty sip of her drink. Vernon decided to speak despite the death glare coming from me and the looming fact that I was not afraid to summon my “falconry training partner” at any given moment.

“St. Brutus, a first-class institute for hopeless cases!” Vernon answered with forced cheerfulness. He swallowed rather heavily when he caught my look. Must be the knife.

“Good, I’ve heard good things about that school. They've turned delinquents into accountants. Do they still use the cane, boy?” Marge turned her focus back to me with a... er... critical eye.

I paused, my eyes turning wide and my smile a little lopsided. A thought formulating in my mind that left me nodding, “Oh yes, I’ve beaten plenty.”

“Can’t even use his native tongue correctly. It’s ‘I’ve been beaten plenty’, boy. If my brother is putting money into your schooling you should at least make it not go to waste.” Marge leaned her head towards Vernon, "I would be demanding my money back if they can't make him learn his grammar."

“No, I said that right. I’m the head of the disciplinary committee.” On the other side of the table, Petunia paled. Oh look, she seemed to finally remember that _I_ control conversations. “Caught the previous head smoking and... Well, the headmaster was rather pleased with my performance.”

There was a pause.

“Seems the school could use a bit of work, Vernon. Your nephew is still a liar,” Marge commented with strong disappointment, taking a gulp of her brandy. “Dresses like a little punk too, so much black. Didn’t know my brother was wasting money getting a hopeless delinquent a toothed necklace.”

I continued cleaning while Marge kept her drunken tirade. I could ignore what they said about my father, it’s nothing I haven’t heard before and I knew it was a load of rubbish; no need to tell my family that I have a vault with so much gold I could probably buy the entire street if I invested correctly.

But then, the topic switched to my mother.

“In any case, never mind the father, it’s the mother you have to worry about. It’s like breeding dogs! You have to pick your mothers _carefully_. While you have a lovely woman like Petunia to be your wife, her sister was not one of the right sorts. I'm wondering if the two are even sisters by blood. Are you sure she wasn't adopted, Petunia?” Marge became animated with her hands, nearly spilling brandy. I lifted my head up, mid-scratching meat off of a knife.

I slowly sat the pointy object down.

I _dare_ her.

"Yes, I'm sure... our parents weren't the..." Petunia swallowed thickly. "Adoption type."

“Hmph! Such a pity that it's in your bloodline then. Marrying a drunkard, throwing her life away and possibly being just as useless; breeding a hopeless little runt as well. Horrible really. You just have to be careful; If there is something wrong with the bitch then there’s something wrong with the pup!”

_SLAP_

_CRASH_

“Did you just-?” Marge sputtered, hand on her cheek and glass shattered on the ground. The rosiness of her cheek having been slapped away and was replaced by a beating red.

“Another word about my mum…” My breathing came out labored, harsh, feral. My hand stung and my heart pounded in my chest. “... and I’ll make you regret coming here. At least I’m healthy and I take care of my body. _You’ll_ die of a heart attack in just a few years you pompous, oversized beluga of a woman.”

A fat finger was pointed at my face. I could bite that off right here and now and blame it on her dog. “Let me tell you something about respect, _boy_.”

“If you knew an ounce of respect you wouldn’t be illegally breeding… these things,” I glare down at Ripper, who took one look at me and survival instincts kicked in. The bulldog whimpered and hid under Marge’s chair. Why are these dogs bred still? There are so many health problems with them and I don’t see the appeal in their look, to be frank.

Marge opened her mouth but I let out a loud whistle. She became quiet when loud thudding noises came from upstairs, down the hallway, down the stairs, and then she let out a scream when Phantom ran to my side. He sniffed me, examining my face, and started nudging my hand when he felt it shake. 

“Oh! And for the record, I’m _not_ going to St. Brutus. I’m going to an private school where I am learning Latin, falconry, and medical chemistry. The same school my mum and dad graduated from. They were both _law enforcers_ with my dad being in the military! They were _murdered_ because my dad made enemies! But you don’t care, because you’d rather tear down a child to make yourself feel better about your lonely arse. I'd tell you to get laid but I sincerely doubt anyone is that desperate.”

I could have told her about magic, I could have mentioned the Order, I could have mentioned all of that… if I wanted to seem crazy. 

I stormed out of the room, Phantom hot on my heels while the Dursleys remained at the table unmoved. Throwing open my door, startling Sansa and Scabbers, I start shoving any of the possessions that I actually deemed to be mine into my bag, which laid against my pillow. School supplies can remain in my trunk. When I turned to face my other pets, Sansa was already in her cage, calmly waiting for me to pick it up.

“No, Sansa, honey… here.” I take a piece of paper and write down a quick note, tying it to her leg with a small pouch filled with money. I had to retie it three times, my hands would not stop shaking. “Go to the Leaky Cauldron and give these to the innkeeper please.”

Sansa was more than happy to fly and deliver the message rather than be in her insultingly small cage, which also got placed inside my bag. Once I had Scabbers’ cage tied securely to my trunk and Phantom on his lead, I headed down the stairs where my uncle started to head towards me.

“I’m staying with my friends over the summer!” I declared before Vernon could say anything. “And I’m not sorry!”

I went outside and slammed the door shut, briskly walking away from the property while Vernon shouted through the walls. We walked for a while, mostly so I can take the damp air and inhale all of it into my lungs to calm down. My face felt hot compared to my chilled hands. 

“I think I would have stabbed her if I didn’t set down that knife, Phantom,” I admitted once we were out of that forsaken neighborhood. “I just… I hate how she talks. If you are going to say horrible... cruel things about other people, about the _dead_ , at least have good reasons. Or, at least, reflect on yourself and ask the question ‘Do I really have any rights to say this?’ She had no right to talk about my mum that way, nor my dad.”

Phantom let out a soft whine, bumping into my leg as we walked.

“I mean, I say some pretty mean things, but... Lockhart, when he was our professor, was unprofessional and had no idea what he was doing. As it turns out, he was faking everything! But I’m not about to go talking rubbish behind people’s back just to make myself feel better! If I'm going to talk about someone, it's going to have truth behind it.” I loop Phantom’s lead around my wrist so I could use my hand to rub my face. “Ok, time to summon transportation I guess…”

I pull out my wand and stare at it dumbly. “How in the bloody hell am I supposed- _YIPE_!”

Just as the question was on the tip of my tongue, _BOOM_! The bus appeared in front of my face, tall and purple like the robes of royalty. If it wasn’t for the trunk behind me I probably would have fallen on my butt in surprise.

A man in his late teens, face covered in pimples walked down the stairs and looked at me with a bored expression.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand. Step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening.” He spoke from a note card and his speech sounded rehearsed. “A ride on the Knight Bus is 11 sickles, 13 sickles and you get a hot chocolate, and for 15 you get a hot water bottle and toothbrush with the color of your choosin’. _”_

I fish through my bag and produce 15 sickles. “Green please.”

Stan accepts the money and helps me get my trunk onto the bus, not making any comments on the fact that I own both a dog and a rat. “Not often we get a Slytherin on the bus. Where you headin’?” He sets my things by a bed and gives me the hot water bottle and toothbrush which was a brand I had never heard of before and still in its packaging. I guess he doesn’t know who I am? Convenient.

“Leaky Cauldron, in London.” I sit down and pat for Phantom to lay beside me. He jumped onto the bed and proceeded to settle a good chunk of his weight on my lap as if keeping me in one place.

“Alrigh’, Ernie! Time to go!” 

I immediately understood why Phantom decided to lay on me.

Without his weight, I would have fallen off the bed the moment Ernie hit the gas. There were a few wizards near me, all sleeping in their beds with no issue but I chose to shove my face in Phantom’s fur, less I get motion sick. The bus was haphazardly driving, weaving around obstacles and changing its size. I didn’t need to see what was going on because I could feel it.

“What’chu say your name was?” I hear Stan’s voice near me.

“A-” Oh sweet Morgana that left turn. “Axel Lea.”

“Bit of a weird name don’t cha think?” Stan commented, even Phantom lifted his head to what I could only assume was to look at me. Yeah, I know it’s a weird name, I was eleven. But it works as a fake name and I am sticking to it until the day I die!

“Dunno, I don’t think much about my name.” To be fair, Harry Potter is about as generic as you can get. At least my fake name brings up a good conversation starter.

Stan kept up conversing with me during the bus ride, not seeming to mind that I was one more turn away from hurling nor the fact that my face was hidden in a dog’s fur. He spoke mostly of Sirius Black, but before he could ask why a Slytherin kid was on the Knight Bus, the bus reached the Leaky Cauldron. I did find it amusing that, while he didn’t recognize me, he knew enough about Slytherins to know that most of them would not be on that vehicle. 

Phantom was quick to usher me off the bus.

“Have a good evenin’, Lea!” Stan called out before the door shut and the Knight bus vanished from sight.

“Let’s go check-in so I can vomit…” I muttered weakly, stomach still spinning and the base of my neck gave me flashbacks of my past life, always feeling the combo sensation just before losing five hours worth of food. Fun.

When I walked into the Leaky Cauldron, Tom the innkeeper discreetly motioned me over with a friendly smile. “Ah, Harry Potter, a pleasure to have you stay at the Leaky Cauldron. Your room is room 11 and your owl is waiting for you.”

“Thank you... how many days did the money cover?”

“Oh, ‘bout four days and I gave the change to your bird. Smart lass. She watched every movement of my hand when I counted.” Tom chuckled and rubbed his neck. “Most owls don’t pay any mind to money given to them, but your bird refused to even blink until I gave the pouch back. Then she gave me a nice nip. So friendly.”

I made my way up the stairs while Tom was having an outer monologue about friendly birds and unfriendly birds, and seemed to have forgotten I was even there. Phantom walked ahead, looking up at the doors and then stopped me when we got to door 11.

“Finally…” I pushed open the door and was immediately greeted to an owl flying in my face and landing on my now outstretched arm. “Hi, Sansa. You missed a crazy ride, have you hunted?”

She preened my hair then flew to the window, looking outside then back at me expectantly. I put Scabbers’ cage on the table so he didn’t fall and then opened the window so Sansa could hunt. I decided to leave the window unlocked, it was one of those push and pull type windows so Sansa could let herself in when she was done.

“... Eh… I’ll change in the morning,” I decide and flop onto the bed, the crystal cover of my necklace jabbing harmlessly into my stomach. The only thing I really do in terms of changing is removing my hair ribbon, glasses, and shoes. I fell asleep face-down on the bed and promptly stayed like that until someone moved me to my side.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I somehow managed to finish all of my school shopping within a single afternoon that next day. It was as simple as keeping an itemized list of what was needed to have a successful third year and stay away from literally everything else. When I had returned from shopping, a package was laying on the table, crudely wrapped in brown packing paper that turned out to be that freaky monster textbook from Hagrid. I wisely chose to keep it bound and locked in my trunk for now.

After that, nothing of note happened until the sun began to set. 

I looked outside the window to examine the midnight sky. “Oh, good, the moon is out.” One of the few perks about summer is the fact that the sky was almost always clear at night, or at least clear enough to where you can see the moon. However, the unfortunate side-effect to being in the city is the lack of stars. So while the moon was out and bright, glowing amongst the dark blue hue, it was alone.

... Lupin is a werewolf right now.

I shook my head of the thought, hoping that out of anything that stays the same, _Lupin_ being hired is one of them. After putting Phantom on his lead, we headed outside and I had to, unfortunately, summon the Knight Bus to get to my usual forested area Stan didn’t seem to mind when I mentioned that I will be summoning the bus again and Phantom once again sat on me so I wasn’t thrown around. 

The dry forest floor made satisfying crunch sounds under my trainers with each step. “This is where I like to hide from my cousin Dudley when I get the chance to go outside, kinda pretty huh?” I said to Phantom, leisurely strolling until we make it to a part of the woods where the moon’s rays hit the ground. I was only able to find this patch thanks to an old trail that I had to clear out when I was a kid. Apparently, there is another path nearby but this one got discontinued because... I dunno. “Perfect. Dobby!”

The little house-elf appeared with a sharp _crack_ and stared up at me with the brightest smile possible. His pillowcase he wore as clothing was finally laundered, a slight tan from misuse and age, but it at least was missing stains. He also wore the sock that freed him around one of his ears like a bow. Phantom immediately plopped his fuzzy butt to the ground then fully laid down to watch.

“Harry Potter! Dobby has taken great care in making sure nothing disturbed the dew!” Very cautiously, he holds up a silver spoon, filled perfectly to the top with dew. Dobby’s face was tight with determination, the entire hand that held the spoon could have been mistaken for being petrified with how still it was.

“Brilliant, let me get everything and we can prepare the potion!” I plunge my hand into my bag and pull out the chrysalis -blech-, phial, a small black box wrapped in about five layers of duct tape, extra duct tape to seal said box, and then the plastic bag containing my earlier purchase on my birthday. “Did you make sure to take care of yourself, Dobby?” I reached into my mouth to pull out the mandrake leaf.

“Yes sir, Dobby made sure to get 4 hours of sleep while watching the dew!”

I paused for a brief moment, having to pull out the leaf so I could talk. I looked at the house-elf while I shoved the leaf into the phial, held high above my head so the moon’s light hit the glass. “Per… day… right?”

Dobby’s ears dropped and he let out a little giggle.

“I-...” I blinked several times and kneel in front of him, holding out the phial so he could pour the dew in. “And meals?”

“One meal!” Dobby blinked then began to wave his free hand, I must have pulled a face. “Per day, sir!”

My eye began to twitch. “Dobby…” I started, still continuing the potion as this was a time-sensitive creation. I shoved my pointer finger in the back of my head, twirled a strand around it then gave a quick yank to remove the entire thing. “Ouch! Okay, Dobby… when I ask you to do a job… please, for the love of everything good, please take care of your needs first.”

“But… Dobby did take care of his needs. This was Dobby’s first job from Harry Potter, and Dobby wanted to make you proud!” 

Bloody hell this elf...

“I want you to prioritize your needs above all else. That means at least three meals a day and 8 hours of sleep _per night_. At least until you find work that you enjoy the most, then you’re free to do what you want.” I put the hair and chrysalis in the phial, holding it up to the moon’s light every time. No color change happened, but the book did say that if it works, it’ll turn red during a lightning storm.

Please work, I just spent a third of my summer where everything tasted like vinegar.

Once the phial was put in the box and sealed shut I looked down towards Dobby, who was standing at attention. “I have two more things for you to do. The first is to put my aunt’s spoon in… I dunno, in between the lounge chair’s cushion. The second is I want you to take this box,” I hold the box out, “and put it in the Room of Requirements at Hogwarts, think in your head ‘I need a place that is dark and undisturbed for Harry Potter to find’ and leave this in there. Can you do those things?”

“Yes sir! Dobby will get to that right away!” He tried to reach for the box, but stopped and tilted his head when I set it down by my feet.

“Not so fast. Now we have to discuss payment.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing as Dobby’s eyes seemingly got bigger than before. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a handful of galleons and sickles. Merlin forbid I try to give Dobby knuts, it would not surprise me if that’s all he accepted if I did.

“Oh no! Dobby can not take Harry Potter’s money!” Dobby waved his hands and backed up slightly as if afraid the money would burn his head off if he tried to touch it. “Harry Potter freed Dobby, that is all the pa- payment Dobby can accept!” He said payment like he was about to vomit from the air it produced.

“Why not? This was a job and I’m not your master. People are paid for their work.”

Dobby began to wring his ears painfully. “Because Dobby can’t… Dobby couldn’t because it would be… it would be um…” He looked in every direction while he thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and those tennis balls sized blinkers seemed to stare into the darkest pits of my soul. “ _Rude_.”

I, very slowly, put the money back into my pocket, just so I could cover my face with my hands and laugh. The way he said “rude”! He held out the u-sound like a toddler learning a new word, and his face! Merlin’s beard I love this little guy!

“Okay…” I took a deep breath and pulled on my collar. “Phew, it got hot all of a sudden… Ahem. Dobby,” I start, taking the money out again. “It would not be rude to accept payment for doing a job, but it would be rude of me to at least not try to compensate you for your time. So am I to be rude?”

Poor guy looked like he was having an existential crisis.

“How about this, you pick your wage based on a minimum. I won’t look.” I push my glasses up to my head and cover my eyes with my free hand, turning my head away. “That way you can decide, Dobby.”

**3rd person**

Sirius watched this whole exchange with fascination. Never in his life did he ever consider the idea of paying a house elf for their service. They _like_ to serve! Even if their masters are not the best of people, house-elves would never accept payment even if someone tried. But… here was his clever little Bambi, holding out the money in front of this house elf’s face.

The creature looked like he would ram his head into the nearest tree if Harry allowed him. 

He began to reach for a sickle, except Harry decided to speak up.

“Minimum one of each coin.”

A snort left Sirius’ nose. The elf hopped from one foot to another and then quicker than Sirius could see, he picked up one of each coin and put them away in… wherever elves keep their things. Sirius never paid much attention to their abilities. 

“Dobby has accepted… payment, sir.”

Harry fixed his glasses and put away his money, not even bothering to count the coins. “Oh! I also have a present for you.”

Sirius suddenly felt pity for this creature. The elf -Dobby, Sirius, just call him Dobby- sagged in posture immediately. Harry reached behind him and produced the plastic sack from before. “I hope everything fits, I had to guess on the size.”

He reached into the bag and pulled out a pair of dark trousers, a belt, and a mint and light blue checkered flannel. The clothes were small, child-sized and Harry held up the flannel while the trousers and belt were draped over his arm. 

“I couldn’t find any trainers, you’ll need to find them yourself, but I thought these would look nice on you. What do you think, Dobby?” Harry paused. “Er… Dobby?”

Sirius got up to get a closer look.

Dobby’s eyes were watering, and then a sob broke out. Harry folded the clothes and rested them on his lap while he rubbed the elf’s back while he cried.

“D-Dobby has never been… treated so kindly! Harry Potter did not have to do this for Dobby!” The house-elf blew his nose into the corner of his current clothes.

“I wanted to, silly. You can try them on later,” He said while putting the clothes back into the sack.

“I-If,” Dobby sniffed. “If Harry Potter was Dobby’s master, Dobby would not leave even if given clothes. Harry Potter is good.”

Now it was Harry’s turn to make a face. Sirius laid back down, a smile starting to form on his canine jaw. He couldn’t wait to see what kinds of friends his godson has if a house-elf is reacting this way towards him. Then again... Harry killed trolls and basilisks to keep them safe... he has good friends.

If only James and Lily could see their son and see the man he's becoming.

**Harry’s POV**

“Let’s not discuss things like that. I don’t want to be the ‘master’ of anyone, it just sounds… cruel. You’re my friend,” I say, hoping to drop the chances of Dobby asking me to accept him as my personal house elf. I decide to take the fact that it’s late to my advantage to avoid the topic. “It’s getting late. Phantom and I need to return to the Leaky Cauldron.”

“Oh yes!” Dobby immediately perked despite having puffy eyes and began to collect his intended items and the sack. “Dobby will get to finishing his work right away. And if Harry Potter ever needs Dobby’s service, just say Dobby’s name and Dobby shall appear.”

“Thank you, you have no idea how much I owe you for helping me with this. I doubt I’d be able to become an Animagus without you.” Dobby can keep secrets, move places where I couldn’t, and above all, I just… can’t trust one of my friends not accidentally telling someone before I’m ready to reveal it. “Have you thought about what you wanted to do, now that you’re free from the Malfoys?” I hear Phantom lift his head.

“Dobby is hoping to find proper work, but wizards are not interested in hiring a house-elf as paid staff.” His ears droop in disappointment.

“Have you tried Hogwarts?” I suggested and Dobby shook his head in response. “Try asking Dumbledore for employment, I’ll be a reference for you.” I give him a wink. If Dumbledore is smart he’ll hire Dobby, especially since Hogwarts can never have too many house-elves.

“Dobby will try. Thank you, Harry Potter. Dobby will go now so Harry Potter may go to sleep,” He snapped his fingers and vanished with another _crack_ , his smile forever tucked away into my memories.

I turned to Phantom and picked up his lead, brushing dirt and leaves off of him and me, “He’s a good guy. It’s just… a little ironic though.” I begin to lead him out of the forest. “My best friend is the son of the family that last held him and… he was abused so badly by them… Kinda just shows how people will treat others differently depending on how they see their value.”

\I look down to see Phantom’s gaze becoming sharper.

“Oh no! Don’t get me wrong! The Malfoys don’t see me as something that they can gain from, Mrs. Malfoy would probably strangle her husband if he tried to profit on my fame,” I said with a laugh, the mental image was comical to me. “Not to mention Draco. Merlin, just by being my friend I’ve probably put him under more danger than it would be worth if he just saw me as… the Boy-Who-Lived. But… it’s definitely taken me a while to get used to the purebloods and their old fashioned views, they at least respect mine. Not all purebloods are bad though, my friends get along splendidly with my Gryffindor and Ravenclaw friends, one of them is even Muggle-born! Imagine, the heir to the Zabini family, actively seeking out a Muggle-born girl because she knows more than him!”

Phantom snorted, then nudged my body as I was about to take a wrong turn.

“I don’t have any Hufflepuff friends though… None of them I’ve been too interested in being friends with. I’ll study with them if they ask, but I’m satisfied with my circle. I’ve got more friends than I could dream… if it had just ended up being Draco and Hermione, I would have been happy with those two at least... ” I reach down and scratch behind Phantom’s ears. “Don’t tell any of them I said this, but... I feel blessed to be able to call them my friends. All of them.”

We took the Knight Bus back to the Leaky Cauldron and as we went up the stairs, my feet dragged. Sitting in that bus seemed to finally flip a switch in my body, making each step from my feet feel like my entire body weight was putting pressure on them. I unlocked our room and I slowly pushed open the door with my head. I just want to take a warm bath, put on some pajamas, give Sansa a bunch of kisses then sleep-

“Had fun… walking in the moonlight, Mr. Potter? I did not take you for a night owl. Your expeditions tend to be more… on the lighter side.”

Nevermind I am _WIDE_ awake now!

“Professor Snape?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lot of stuff happened in this chapter and a cliffhanger too? Well, aren't I mean? :)
> 
> So about the Dursleys... is it just me or did Rowling seemed to make Vernon, Dudley and Marge with the idea of "They are awful people, stupid and indulgent... also they are fat." I get that they were made so she gets her point across to children about characters, but I can't help but notice a lot of the overweight characters in the series are the ones that are stupid and indulgent which is not a healthy way to portray people who are overweight. I don't want to turn this into a huge debate in the comment sections, but I wanted to ask if anyone else noticed that Rowling liked having mean-spirited things be said to anyone that was not on Harry's good side?
> 
> Granted I don't like her much as a person anymore so I'm starting to take more of this stuff to heart.
> 
> Back to a positive note! Next chapter we have Snape and Harry having a little conversation plus some other things will happen too. Stay safe and stay healthy everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's having a bad evening, good thing the Weasleys are here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning, please note! There is a high-stress panic attack and vomiting. Please keep this in mind as you read this.
> 
> ALSO: A somewhat important message (sorta rant) in the end AN, feel free to skip it if you don't wanna read it. The first Paragraph is about the chapter itself, the rest is the message.

Two things rang in my head as I stared into the room as functions slowly began to shut down within my body, demanding I get ready to go to bed or else.

The first one: Snape was here, sitting at the table with a tea set for two, waiting for me to sit down and talk.

The second one?

_Growl…_

I needed to grab Phantom _NOW_!

Immediately, I bent down and took a tight hold of Phantom’s collar. He snarled at Snape, slowly trying to pull against my grip so he could lunge, but I started digging my feet into the floor to keep him steady. All the while, Snape sat in his seat and patiently waited for me to get control of my latest pet.

“Sorry, Professor! I just adopted him last week and he-” I give a tug of Phantom’s collar. “- he’s extremely protective of me because of the Dursleys! Phantom, enough!” The dog paused and blinked, then looked up at me and let his ears fall flat in submission. The tugging stopped. I slowly relaxed my grip until I was certain he wasn’t going to try and rip Snape’s face-off then fully released him. Phantom immediately moved to act as a physical barrier between Snape and me.

For many obvious reasons, I reattached Phantom’s lead and kept it wrapped around my wrist.

“I see… nevermind the dog. Have a seat, Mr. Potter, we need to discuss important matters.” Snape motioned to the chair. When I sat down, he continued talking. “I was told by the Malfoys, that you will be staying with the Weasleys the remainder of summer… is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.” I nodded briefly, taking a small sip of the tea while scratching Phantom behind the ear, who was acting like my own personal shin warmer.

“Good, with Sirius Black,” Snape says the name like it was the foulest swear, “on the loose, it will be safest for you to be with other magic users. However, I am here to give you some practical advice… under the assumption that you would want a normal year.”

“Be my guest,” I say with another sip. I haven’t had any of my tea since I returned to the Dursleys -Petunia purchases the worst tea- and after one sip, I could tell Snape brought the green tea I love drinking during breakfasts.

“Do not seek out Black.”

“But that’s one of my favorite colors, Professor,” I sighed out dramatically. Phantom snorted and pressed closer to my leg. Snape did not look amused. “Sorry, I’m just trying to make a joke… erm… please continue.”

“... As your Head of House,” Snape starts while Phantom’s ears perked up. “I am entrusted with information from the Headmaster himself. Based on previous years, I already know you will learn this one way or another, and it’s best… I inform you while your emotions are in check.”

He paused to see if I had questions. I didn’t, so he continued.

“By all legal records, Black is your godfather and was originally to become your legal guardian should something happen to your parents.” Snape presented this information like someone ripping off a band-aid. “However, he ended up in Azkaban the night of your parents’ murder.”

“How did he end up in Azkaban?” I asked with a tone of curiosity. How exactly would Snape tell this story to me considering my dad and his friends bullied him? Lucius was rather straightforward on most of it, maybe it’s a Slytherin thing to be blunt?

“He murdered another friend of your father’s, Peter Pettigrew.” Definitely a Slytherin thing. Interesting that he didn’t mention anything about Sirius betraying my parents though, I thought he would relish in telling me about how my father trusted the wrong people. “In this case… you are on a high protection order from the Ministry of Magic. There is reason to believe that Black may be in pursuit to kill you as well. As such, this year, you are to stay out of the way of the adults as we search for him. Spend time with your friends and have a year where you don’t try to kill a dangerous being.”

B-but… but _Dementors!_ I need to be the first person that figures out how to kill them!

“Yes sir…” I slump more into my chair, staring at my cup of tea as the desire to drink it left me.

“You seem tired, Mr. Potter,” Snape commented rather dully, drinking what I am assuming is tea but you just never know with adults. I nodded, not really bothering a verbal answer, my mind slowly beginning to drift into the weird space that only came out when I was tired.

With each step, things are changing to a point where predicting the outcomes will be impossible. Snape is taking the time to actually _warn_ me and care about my well-being, unlike the harsh, brooding, over-sized bat-like in the books and movies. I have Sirius literally under my nose. I can protect him, I can _free_ him. If… If I can keep Sirius safe past my fifth year of Hogwarts, that means I can change the timeline enough to save lives!

A small smile formed on my lips. Scenes began to play in my head, scenes I needed to change. I always hated this part of my mind, I just replay things over and over again until it’s satisfied.

Cedric’s cold, lifeless body would never haunt my dreams. Sirius wouldn’t trip head-first into that ridiculous veil that shouldn’t be in the Ministry in the first place! Fred… Lupin… Tonks… Dobby. So many people, just like the mirror showed me. People I can actually save because I know how to keep them alive! At the same time… I’ll never know the consequences for my actions… who might die in their places? Even so… I will protect them.

I started drifting to one of my favorite scenes from the movies, I don’t know why, but it came to mind. I remember, watching the scene with my cat in my lap, petting the fluffy creature, and hitting the play button. I remember Snape confronting Dumbledore about using Harry as a sacrifice, how Dumbledore asks him if he even cared about Harry Potter’s life. I remember wanting to cry as Snape waved his wand, voice cracking as he summoned his Patronus, a beautiful doe, and how it pranced around the darkroom. And when Dumbledore asked him _“After all this time?”_

A single word. A simple, yet powerful word.

_“Always…”_

You know, that quote is overused way too much. I remember seeing a new necklace design once a month at my local Hot Topic and-

_CRASH!!!_

My brain hit reboot at the sudden crash. Phantom was standing, hackles raised and snarling at Snape, licking his white teeth as he seemed ready to pounce. On the floor was a shattered teacup, porcelain sprayed across the floor in a fine, pale powder while chunks still skidded across the wooden floor. Sansa perched on my chair in a threatening posture, shifting from one foot to another, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

It took me a minute to realize… that wasn’t my teacup. I don’t drop teacups.

I shifted my eyes until they met Snape’s. He was pale, more so than usual, an almost sickly color with his mouth agape. In his hand, subtly pointed in my direction? His wand.

My heart stopped. Did he…?

Just as quickly as the expression sat on his face, even quicker did it leave. Snape flicked his wand and the teacup repaired itself and floated back to its saucer on the table. I slammed my teacup onto the table, effectively shattering it and sending the hot liquid flying. Snape didn’t so much as blink as he did the same motion and repaired that cup too.

There had to have been something in the tea! Ugh! Why did I do something so _stupid_ as to drink tea not prepared by myself?! I don’t even let Hogwarts’ house-elves make my tea! 

I shot up from my chair, kneeing Phantom in the process, and began to raise my hand which held my wand. Snape's hand snapped and my wand flew out of my grasp. I had to quickly grab Phantom’s collar as he began to lunge at the professor and the lead was still too long. My heartbeat drummed in my head, pounding at my skull and my breath came in short bursts. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide, I wanted to punch Snape in his nose and obliviate his entire memory of the last hour. If he saw… if he saw my memories…

I’m not ready to let others know…

Snape’s eyes flickered rapidly across my face, then settled to vanish the tea set. “If you want the dog to come with you to Hogwarts, I suggest you get him trained while you are with the Weasleys. I will not permit animals in my classroom. If he bites a student I will personally dispose of him...”

...

What…?

“Until the Ministry changes their mind about your guardianship, I will not accept your Hogsmead permission slip unless signed by either your aunt or your uncle. That is not my decision however, Mr. Potter. The Headmaster has made it clear that until Sirius Black is caught… I am to not make exceptions. Once he is… no longer a threat,” Snape slowly pockets his wand. “I will accept a slip even if signed by Narcissa or Lucius.”

Why isn’t he asking about it?

“Past my warning of Black, nothing leaves this room.” Snape gave me one last glance, eyes lingering on my face for a second too long. “Goodnight, Mr. Potter.”

Snape apparated with a _crack_.

My body swayed as the blood that had rushed to my head left, Phantom nudging me until I collapsed into the chair, my head bowed. Sansa hopped into my lap and began to preen my hand and hair, letting out soft screeches until she decided to nest into my lap. I didn’t move, staring at nothing.

‘He knows… he knows and he didn’t say anything! How much did he see? Does he… does he know?’ My heartbeat began to accelerate and my face warmed up again. What is he going to do with that information?! Is he going to find moments where my mind is at its weakest and probe for more? Am I going to be safe during Potions class?

Oh god… if he tells Dumbledore.

Something built up in the back of my throat and stomach and I lolled my head back, trying to regain the feeling of normalcy. But it wouldn’t stop.

Phantom put his front paws on the arm of the chair and touched my cheek with his nose. I take a glance and find my wand delicately being held in his jaw. He let out a muffled _woof_ and placed the wand next to Sansa, who hissed at Phantom for daring to get near her like an offended cat.

The discomfort traveled up my neck.

I need to get up.

_NOW!_

Sansa flew off my lap the second she felt me shift and I took the opportunity to get up on my feet, black spots flashing my vision. I nearly fell with my first step, flailing an arm out to regain balance and ran, ripping off Phantom’s lead in the process. “Sansa’s in charge!” 

That's what I left my animals with as I slammed the bathroom door shut.

I collapsed on my knees in front of the toilet and emptied out my stomach, my breath coming out strangled. I only had a moment to chuck my glasses onto the old bath mat before my late-night snack joined my dinner.

I gasped, the only type of breath I could make.

_Nothing leaves this room._

_He’s going to tell Dumbledore. _

_Nothing leaves this room._

_He wants to lower your guard. _

_Severus would never betray your trust._

_He betrayed Lily’s trust. _

_Severus would have continued to look._

_He has all year at Hogwarts. _

_You can trust him, you know this._

_I can’t trust ANYONE! _

_You know that’s not true._

_If they know anything that happens from today onward WILL BE MY FAULT! _

Another wave of sick pushed through.

My limbs felt like noodles, I could barely hold my head up. My throat croaked as a choked sob broke through me, sending waves of pain down my body. That’s all I could do. Cry.

I pushed away from the toilet, closed the lid, and flushed. Grabbing onto the sink counter and pulling myself up on jelly legs so I could wash my mouth and brush my teeth, most of my weight draped over the hard stone-like wood.

‘He said nothing leaves the room right? Does he mean as in the conversation or everything in general? Does what he saw in my mind count as what happened in this room? Nothing in those scenes happened in this room though! What am I going to do if he tells Dumbledore? Would he even tell Dumbledore? He knows how much I hate that man, right? He should know, he’s supposed to know. I mean, What would Snape gain by revealing what he saw? No one can force me to talk and without my own words telling them the truth they can’t prove what he saw was nothing more than nightmares I had.’

I took a shaky breath and then spat out the toothpaste.

‘I can always just say I’m a seer, yeah… yeah, that works. But what if Snape keeps asking about it or keeps going in my head or- shut up, Harry. You’re overthinking this- but what if I can never have a normal year- _shut up brain_. Stop thinking about it.’

The worst part about telling your brain to shut up is that it never actually does, in fact, “shut up”.

When I finally left the bathroom, Phantom was nudging me and letting out concerned whines. I didn’t pet in response, I just slowly crawled into bed. My body begging that I stopped moving, each action brought waves of tense pain throughout my diaphragm, limbs, and my head. It wasn’t until I slowly, painfully, cocooned myself into the blankets when Phantom jumped on the bed.

I took off my glasses and rested them on the night table, trying to pull the blanket over my face. When I inhaled, the bed shook and my leg jerked in response to my stiff body. When my eyes closed they were dry, yet another pain to add to my body.

Phantom gave me space. 

…

‘What if Severus treats me differently because-”

Shut up, brain.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I was woken up by two hands rapidly knocking on the door. I shot my head up and slipped my glasses over my nose, glaring daggers at the door that dared to make noise. “YEAH?” I winced at the croak and quickly drowned the glass of water at my bedside.

The door opened and the first head to pop up was Fred.

“Mornin’ Sleeping Beauty, that’s the right muggle fairytale, right brother?” Fred looked up just in time for George’s head to also poke in. 

“Think so. Hermione drilled that into our heads if we were to ever wake someone up.”

“Brilliant,” Fred declared, pushing open the door dramatically and let himself in, whistling at the room. “Do you never make a mess?” He motions to the very neat pile of luggage in the corner of my room.

I blinked a few times then buried my face back into Phantom’s shoulder. I pushed forward happy thoughts, so my darkening aura doesn't reach the twins. I needed to relax. “Welcome back to Britain, why are you here so early…? It’s-” I glance at the clock on the wall. “6 in the morning.”

“Nah,” Fred waved his hand dismissively and marched over to my bed. “We’re still on Egypt’s time. Wicked dog, Harry.”

I feel Phantom’s tail beat relentlessly against my leg as Fred gives him ear scratches. _Traitor_.

“Meaning you,” Why is George grabbing the sheets?

“Need to be,” Fred, what are you two doing?”

“ _Up!_ ” I let out a shriek as the blanket I had oh-so-carefully cocooned myself out of was ripped off me and I landed hard on my back on the floor. I’m noticing a trend of me being flung out of my comfortable safety that is my blankets.

“Ugh… rude… oh so very rude…” I grumbled, one of the twins putting my glasses on my face. “Alright, alright, I’m up…” I pushed myself into a sitting position and then onto my feet, Phantom shaking himself upon jumping off the bed.

We gathered my belongings and began to head down the stairs, the twins animatedly telling their tales of Egypt, though I think the part about Bill dancing with a mummy was false… or they were talking about Molly and were doing a play on words. I’m too tired to ask or correct, my body still protesting being up. 

“Seems he didn’t get the joke,” Fred sulked.

We made it down the stairs where a very, _very_ burnt red Percy was waiting for us by the fireplace with floo powder. I tried not to stare but it was so hard not to. He looks like autumn.

“So… did you guys enjoy the sun?” I asked, trying not to overly stare at the Weasley-lobster.

“Very funny, Potter,” Percy frowns, having figured out my humor is very similar to the twins. “It was nice. But in any case, we are using the floo system to get to the house, you just say ‘the Burrow’ and it should take you there.”

I blinked, somewhat stunned at Percy’s snappish tone. _Okay_ … seems like he’s not entirely thrilled to have me there.

“Alright, who goes first?” I was given a handful of floo by Percy and motioned to the fireplace. I stepped in with both my luggage and Phantom. Fred had Scabbers while George had a miffed Sansa in her cage. 

I stepped into the fireplace and called out for the Burrow. The familiar green fire surrounds Phantom and I. When it extinguishes and I step out, I'm greeted with an environment that was the polar opposite of the Malfoy Manor.

The living room had warm, autumn-colored furniture and lighting. An armchair to my right donned an aged white cushion and a pillow with hand-knitted casing. Not too far was the famous Weasley clock, half of the arrows pointing at "home", three at "Leaky Cauldron" and one under "work". The only cool color to be seen is the sofa, a very old and very faded shade of blue.

Topping it off with the aroma of cooking eggs and I feel much more at peace than at the Malfoy's… at least enough to want to sink into that sofa.

Phantom nudged me out of the way so the Weasley boys could arrive without crashing. George swiftly released Sansa from her prison and she flies off, screeching with a tone of wounded pride.

"Now…" Percy starts, dusting off his robes. "I am aware that you're used to the Malfoys', so do forgive our simple-"

"Are you mad? This is wonderful!” I interrupted him. “You have no idea how stiff Draco’s house is, it makes you not want to touch anything, do anything that might make the slightest noise and the only uncontrollable noises are the peacocks!”

Fred and George snickered.

“Oh,” Percy, almost immediately, lightened up his tone with his eyes holding his familiar light. I chose not to comment on his change in attitude. If my math is correct, he was expected to graduate this year and so there was an unbelievable amount of pressure to get good N.E.W.T. scores for himself.

“Is he here?” Molly’s voice rang from where I assume was the kitchen, and she walked over with a kind smile but stern posture. “Don’t just make him stand there boys. It’s still early in the morning, so right off to bed the lot of you. Harry dear, Ron agreed to share his room with you while you stayed with us.”

I dipped my head in thanks. “Thank you, Mrs. Weasley… Um… I hope I’m not being a bother because I…” I motioned down my hand to Phantom. “I recently adopted a dog.”

“Oh what a lovely creature, thin like you though,” Molly tutted disapprovingly. Her three sons vanished up a set of stairs with my stuff and she walks over to me and cups my face. “You’re not a bother, dearie. I should let you know, Narcissa and I have made excellent progress with the ministry to revoke Dumbledore’s right to decide who your guardians are. As of right now, all we need is a trustworthy magical family and his hands will be tied behind his back!”

“Magical family…?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

“Oh, it’s nothing for you to worry about. You must be tired, why not let your dog roam the property while you sleep?” Molly reached down to let Phantom sniff her hand when he didn’t lick and instead nudged she let out a surprised giggle. “He’s so well behaved! You know, the moment I noticed how calm he was I just knew you’d found yourself a wonderful companion. He’ll help keep you safe from danger, I hope.”

Molly returned to the kitchen and I slowly began to follow her, letting Phantom off his lead and he followed by my side. She was already in the process of cooking breakfast, potatoes magically being cut up by a floating knife, dishes washing on their own and she was tending to what looked like farm-fresh eggs. The warmth from the living room expanded into the kitchen, crowded with evidence that seven people do indeed live here. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so tired anymore.

I wanted to be around someone.

“Can... I help?” I ask softly, looking over her shoulder to watch her prep her kitchenware for cooking.

“Oh no, you must be tired, Harry. Go get some sleep and I’ll wake everyone up when breakfast is done.” Molly attempted to shoo me away, but only half-heartedly.

“I’m not tired,” Not anymore to be precise. “I like to cook, what are we making?” I examined the cookbook she had propped next to her. It was a muggle book, no doubt bought by Arther, and the recipe she was looking at was for veggie omelette. “I can chop the greens, Mrs. Weasley.”

“Harry, you don’t-” She stops talking. I don’t know what her face looks like as I was mid-washing the vegetables she had laid out and began to cut up some spinach. “Very well, but the moment you feel tired you go right to bed, Mister.”

“Understood.” I saluted her and resumed my cooking.

We went into a peaceful silence as the only sound of the kitchen came from the chopping of greens and the cracking of eggs. But this was only short-lived, as Molly used magic to monitor the omelettes cooking.

“Mrs. Weasley…?” I said to the woman, my right hand suddenly wanting to memorize the lines on my left hand. “Can I um… ask something?”

Molly didn’t say anything at first, looking at me with this… well, her eyes seemed to have this warm glow. She slowly nodded and fully turned to me. “I knew something was wrong the minute I saw you. What can I do for you, dear?”

“Can… can I um… Nevermind, it’s stupid. I don’t need anything- I don’t mean to come off as rude- I um… wait no, this isn’t coming out right-” I tucked my hair behind my ear and pushed up my glasses. “Could I… I mean… would it be…”

Why did Molly have to just stand there with that smile?

“Can I… have a hug, please?” I could never remember a time my voice was that… that small. I could scarcely believe that a sound even came out of my mouth. “A lot… a lot has happened and I… Phew… Okay. I can say it...” I looked up at the wooden beams above me, trying to focus on the splinters. “I just need someone to hold me and tell me I’m going to be okay…”

Molly softly tutted and barely took a full step to reach me. “Come on, come here.” She beckoned me with her hands, already starting to wrap her arms around me.

I’m pulled into a warm embrace and all I could do was take a sharp inhale. A hand gently stroked my hair and I bit my lip to keep any tears threatening to come out.

“You’re going to be okay, Harry. You’re going to be okay.”

Biting my lip didn’t work.

“Let it out. You’ve had a rough summer. I know,” Molly calmly whispered, the hand stroking my hair was now rubbing my back, keeping me close like a security blanket made to keep me safe. “And no apologizing when you’re done crying. I never make my boys apologize for when they cry, and I don’t expect you to do anything differently. Will you be okay by the time everyone wakes up? If you believe so, you can give me a sign, dearie.”

I sniffled loudly and buried my face into her shoulder.

“That will do,” Molly chuckled and let out a sigh. “You’ll have plenty of things to keep you busy while you’re here, but if you need this to happen again, all you need to do is ask.”

I nodded. Even though Molly is trying to comfort me about things she has no idea about… just being told I’m going to be okay… I can believe it.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Wow, this is really good!” Ron exclaimed with a mouthful of omelette, completely ignoring Ginny and mine’s matching disgusted expressions. “Where did you learn to cook, Harry?”

“I had to make breakfast often for the Dursleys,” I say with a bite of omelette, the texture sending a shiver down my spine but I kept still to avoid being rude. “You pick up a few things.”

I had managed to stop crying just as Ron stumbled down the stairs, too tired to notice that I had red eyes. By the time he had become aware of his surroundings, I had washed my face in the sink, my body feeling lighter than it was since yesterday and some energy was coming back to me with each bite I took. Now it was time to have some fun.

“Maybe I should make the boys learn how to cook,” Molly lowered her head to give her sons The Look™ then suddenly frowned. “Though I worry about Fred and George cooking if I let them.”

“Mum, you wound us!” Fred pouted, a hand over his heart.

“We take our cooking _very_ seriously,” George finished, though the twins turned their heads when Phantom let out a snort. ”Blimey… he really is Harry’s dog. He even has his attitude.”

“I feel insulted.” I glanced at Phantom who was munching on some veggie free eggs and taking the extra effort in avoiding my look. My attention was directed to the door as Arthur entered the kitchen from the back door. “Morning Mr. Weasley!”

“Ah, Harry! I had forgotten you would be staying with us this summer, that would explain Lucius’ behavior yesterday- oh! Breakfast!” Arthur changed his own subject to nab a plateful of food and took a hearty bite, but unlike his youngest son, he didn’t continue speaking until after he swallowed. “So, tell me, Harry… what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?”

Cue his sons giving Arthur weird looks.

I don’t even look up from my food as I cut it up. “Rubber ducks are bathing companions for small muggle children to help their fears of the water. They are typically hollowed on the inside with a small hole so that when squeezed, they can release a squeak noise because of the air coming out. Because they are both hollow and made of materials like rubber and plastic, they are buoyant in water.” The room became still, so I shifted my eyes up.

Arthur’s eyes shined with curiosity. “That was more information than I could have asked for! I have many more questions to ask you about magical artifacts,” He stops when his wife clears her throat. “After you… enjoy your time with our children, of course.”

“If you want you can make up a list of items you want to go over and I can answer them.” Standing up, I took my plate to the sink, and instead of being able to clean the dish myself the plate floated to the scrubber and began to clean itself. “... Killjoy… Can’t clean my room at the Malfoys, can’t do my dishes here.”

“Well, if you want chores to do Harry,” Molly walked over and patted my shoulder. “Ron can show our little gnome problem.”

Oh… _heck_ yeah.

“Sure!” I pat my leg and Phantom springs up to rush to my side. “I need to train Phantom so Dumbledore will let him come with me to Hogwarts.”

Ron led the two of us outside while everyone was still eating, even if I was one of the cleanest eaters I’m still one of the fastest eaters. I cringed seeing the ugly, naked, disproportionate creatures scrambling around the garden like it was their own personal playground. Ugh… here I thought Cornish Pixies were disturbing to look at.

“How do we take care of them?” I inch closer to Phantom when a gnome came close to me. He let out a low growl, lips curling into a snarl that sent the creature scrambling away.

Ron shot his leg out in a football… soccer… ugh! It’s a kick!

“We usually throw them,” Ron explained, picking up a gnome that came over to investigate and chucked it over the hedge.

“Are you kidding? Why would I want to get my hands dirty?” I threw my right leg back and swung it out to kick a gnome, sending it flying over the lower parts of the hedge. “I hope I don’t hit the hedge…”

“Mum has a spell to fix it, so have fun!”

“Alright! Phantom, chase!” I pointed at the gnomes then let out a loud whistle. “Might as well have Sansa help if she’s interested.”

Pretty soon the other Weasley kids came outside and helped us de-gnome the garden. Phantom dug up the burrows as Sansa would swoop down to alert him of their locations. This sent more gnomes scrambling our way and it now became a competition as to who could toss out the most gnomes rather than who could throw the farthest. So far Ginny was kicking all of our butts as she favored picking them up, then swinging her arms like she was a dancer.

I think I’m gonna like being at the Weasleys’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry is finally with the Weasleys for a summer! I just wanted Harry to be put in a calm environment. The panic attack Harry has after Snape is a combination of two kinds of panic attacks I have. When I'm anxious, my brain will not shut up no matter what I try to do and it just makes it worse, I actually need to have someone reassure me that things are fine in order to calm down; I even recently had this one happen and it was not fun but I used it to inspire that scene. When I am under stress (there's a difference), I usually feel physically ill until I vomit. It's not healthy, but I deal with it.
> 
> Now for the important message:  
> So I frequently get comments asking about Harry's gender identity. Many brought up dysphoria as well. I want to address that here in this note and any time a reader asks this question will be redirected to this chapter. I understand that it is a legitimately good question, one that I never considered really for my other SI story. However, please understand that I am getting very tired of answering the same question every few chapters. 
> 
> Harry will never identify as a female/use feminine terms, develop a trans narrative, transition into a female through muggle procedures, or use a potion/spell that turns him into a female permanently.
> 
> Does Harry miss being a girl? Yes. Does he wish he was reborn as a girl (like Hermione) instead of a boy? Yes. Now that he was born as a boy, will he want to turn back into a girl? Oh heck no.
> 
> Many might ask why? The answer is both a kinda complicated answer and also a simple/selfish answer. The complicated answer is that I am a cisgender female. I have never been in the trans or genderfluid communities nor do I know what it's like physically, socially, or emotionally. Not only is that just not me, but I also do not want to try and represent a community I have no business creating media on that I have not experienced myself. This self-insert is my mind, and personally, if I woke up in a new body, I'd want to try and live a new life even if it was new and (more than likely) uncomfortable at first, but that is just how my mind works. Selfish reason? I do not enjoy genderbend stories and I often struggle understanding genderfluid stories. Even if I add in the complexity that is gender identity, I would just end up hating my own story. It doesn't fit my narrative idea nor does it reflect how I would react in this situation.
> 
> Now about the Dysphoria. I know literally nothing about it besides what google immediately tells me. If it means something more to others, I apologize if I do not explain this in a way that fits that definition. If Harry has Dysphoria, it would not because of his body's sex, or because in his past life he was female. It would 100% be because he's mentally an adult woman stuck in the body of Harry Potter. Not only does he have to deal with adults that treat him like a stupid kid, but also there are now several people who actively want to kill him and said adults aren't doing their jobs of protecting children. Harry has the burden of both his legacy as "The-Boy-Who-Lived" and also the burden of knowing a future where some of the people he's grown to love and care for might end up dead or tortured. That's not an easy thing to deal with.
> 
> So there you have it my dear readers. This is the simplest way I could explain Harry's gender identity. Please just understand that no one actually knows how they would react if they were reborn as the opposite sex, we can only assume based on our current beliefs and gender identity. Just because this is how I am writing it, does not mean you can not. If you want to write an SI where your character is trans, non-binary, gender fluid or any other identification, fantastic! Go for it! But PLEASE, stop asking me about Harry's gender identity. I cannot stress how tiring it is to explain the same thing over and over again, especially when this topic almost never appeared in a previous work I did on a different site.
> 
> Also: Please be aware that comments that try to argue with this, saying I SHOULD make Harry trans or genderfluid because of XYZ reasons, I will delete them. No hesitation. It's my story, the SI is my mentality, and I am not going to change how I think just to please a small handful of people who disagree with me. I want to focus on the story and talk with readers about their experience with the story itself, not about Harry's gender/sex. The questions, again, are truly an interesting take and I appreciate it being brought up, but I can only take so much of the same question before I am done with it.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm sorry that it's lengthy and I know it doesn't apply to most of my readers. It's just something I need to get off my chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody ever forgets their first encounter with a Dementor!

“Sorry boy, you’ll have to be in the back with the other pets,” I pet Phantom’s head as I drop off him and Sansa at the back where pets are being loaded. Scabbers will remain with me as usual but only because I _really_ don’t trust Sirius on not doing anything stupid without me keeping an eye on them. “Stay with Sansa, okay?”

Phantom let out a soft whine, giving me a lick on my cheek then sitting next to Sansa who was in her resting “I hate everything” face while she remained in her cage. That face will change when she spots Ulysses.

“Be good you two, I love you!” I gave them both kisses then rushed back to where the Weasleys were. “I’m going to find Draco, is that alright with everyone?”

“I think I saw him board the train,” Percy responded without much care, pointing in the direction of one of the entrances.

“I’m going to find Dean and Thomas,” Ron said and headed off to find his friends. Soon, all of the siblings went to find their respective buddies, Fred and George sticking with me until I spotted the familiar Slytherin boy.

“Nice to see that you stopped slicking your hair back,” I ruffled his hair when I succeeded in sneaking up behind him. He turns around and I take a minute to examine just how much he’s changed in a few months. Gone was quite literally all of his baby fat and I swore he grew several inches since I last saw him. I have to actually look up to meet his eyes. “Growth spurt?”

“Runs in the family. Do you want to sit with Hermione this time around? I’ve spent the entire summer with Pansy and the others and not a single day with my favorite Muggle-born.” Draco smirked with a little bounce in his steps and began to walk off.

“She’s the only Muggle-born you personally know, Draco.” Though, I had to smirk with him. Now that we’re getting older it’ll be fun to let loose and feel comfortable in my own maturity around everyone. Though puberty is going to be the worst. Who in the name of Merlin am I supposed to go to for advice? I’m sure as hell not going to go to Snape.

I’m better off reading a book on it.

We found Hermione in a compartment with a very familiar snoozing figure sitting across from her. She puts her finger to her lips then steps out of the compartment to give me a hug. “How has your summer been? I heard from Ron you got a dog.”

“Where is it anyway? You said in your letter he was impossible to miss,” Draco said while looking over my shoulder as if a dog would magically appear behind me.

“Phantom’s with the other pets. I didn’t know if anyone was allergic so…” I shrugged, giving Hermione another hug then looked at the sleeping figure. “Who’s that?”

“R.J. Lupin. I think he’s our new teacher,” Hermione explained and let us inside. Lupin didn’t stir once while we got settled in. “It’s weird that he’s not at Hogwarts already.”

“Oh, I know him,” I started but stepped outside to buy treats from the Trolly Lady. When I returned, I gave both of them some candy and then went to Lupin. “He’s one of my dad’s friends from school. I’m willing to bet that he wants to relive what it feels like to be a kid again.”

I lift up his arm slightly and slide a chocolate frog, sugar quill, and pumpkin pasties. Not sure if he’s the kind of man to like those sweets but I’m sure he’d appreciate the snack.

I was just about to sit down next to Hermione when she shot her arm out to push me away. “Sorry, you almost sat on Crookshanks.”

“Who?” I looked over my shoulder and, right where my butt would have landed, was a curled up pile of orange fluff just sleeping away as if nothing was wrong. The cat lifted it’s head, revealing a Persian cat-type level of smooshed for its face, looking at me with unimpressed, intelligent eyes. Crookshanks let out the most minimal of protests when Hermione tucked her hands under his fluffy body and laid him over her lap. He then curled back up and now Hermione looked like she brought some kind of orange creamsicle colored pillow.

“I got him in Diagon Alley, the store owner said he’s been there a long time and no one wanted him,” Hermione petted Crookshanks’ back and scooted over so I could sit down, letting her be sandwiched between me and Draco. I also joined in on the affection giving, but mostly had a single thought running in my mind.

… I completely forgot this cat existed.

Crookshanks is probably the most random addition that was ever put in this series and he feels more like a plot device than a form of character development. Hermione _conveniently_ adopts the unwanted, extremely intelligent, half-magical race cat that can sense Animagus forms and is a better judge of character than most of the adults around us. 

Last time I checked, aren’t breeds that look like Persian cats extremely desirable? I know there are other breeds and ginger cats are popular in general.

“Who came up with the name Crookshanks?” Draco, being the brave one, asked the question I’ve been asking myself since the minute I remembered this fluffball existing.

“I did!” Hermione huffed, immediately getting where this conversation was going. “It’s cute and he likes the name. What would you two have named him if you adopted him?”

“Theseus.”

“Mufasa.”

Guess who said who.

“What kind of name is Theseus?” I asked Draco mockingly.

“What the bloody hell is a ‘Mufasa’?” Draco responded back with just about as much bite as me, which is to say none at all.

Hermione sighed.

“Isn’t Theseus the guy who gets trapped in Hades because he pissed off the god of the underworld?” I swear there was more to his character but nothing was sticking to my memory except for the “helps his bro try to steal Persephone”.

“He was a Greek legend and did more than just ‘piss off the god of the underworld’ as you put it, he was a king! What about your name?” Draco challenged.

“Mufasa means ‘king’ in Swahili,” I said with my arms crossed over my chest, “at least it’s a name that can still be used today without getting weird looks.” I didn’t mention _The Lion King_ as I don’t know when Disney will start releasing advertisements, but it’s perfectly reasonable to assume I saw it in a book once.

“You two are extremely childish when riled up.” Hermione sighed out.

“ _Are not!_ ” We paused and looked at each other, mildly freaked out by the fact we just did a Fred and George™.

“Whatever you boys say, now, how has your dog been, Harry?”

We fell into a more casual conversation for most of the time when the rain began to pelt against the window relentlessly. I didn’t hear any thunder or lightning thankfully. If the weather keeps being this bad I’ll be an animagus before the first Quidditch match, but I’ll just have to keep a close eye on the weather reports.

Hermione shivered, pulling her Hogwarts robes close to her body. “It’s getting cold… I’m getting my jumper.” She placed Crookshanks on Draco’s lap and stood up. As she was getting up, I noticed that frost beginning to crawl over the window. I immediately threw my hands out so Hermione didn’t topple over me when the train suddenly stopped with a high-pitched screeching of the train’s many breaks. “Why did we stop?!”

“I don’t know but I’m ready to hex the next living thing that enters this compartment.” I stood up, steadying Hermione and pointed my wand at the door. “Draco, try to wake up Mr. Lupin. We might need an adult for this.”

“If you say so, Harry…” Draco knelt down and began to gently shake Lupin’s shoulder. Crookshanks hissed and curled up in the corner of the compartment, letting out a stressed out growl at the door.

The room became cold and my wand hand was becoming a tinge of purple, my own glasses were starting to fog up from the temperature difference. A mist formed from my breath and a dark figure slowly gliding towards the compartment. My grip weakened and I felt my knees begin to shake.

The compartment’s door slowly opened and floating in was a tall, dark creature half skeletal and half-rotten corpse, dark and brittle like frostbite that has coated an entire body and a voice like wind leaving a hollowed cave. My shoulders dropped, heart rate slowing. I’m… being drained… what…? One moment I was confident, I was ready to punch it in its ugly face. Now I… feel… sad, depressed, like I’ve never been happy before in my life. All I could see was black, skeletal hands reaching for my face like an embrace from winter’s touch. Everything was cold and nothing mattered anymore.

A white light came from behind me and while darkness was taking over my vision, I could only process one thing.

‘Huh… so _that’s_ what a Dementor feels like.’

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Harry…? Harry! Wake up please!” A feminine voice spoke over me.

“Is everyone with connections to Harry’s family heavy sleepers?” A male voice complained. “You took your sweet time waking up.”

“No need for the attitude. Harry will be fine, he’ll just need to wake up.” A different male voice said.

“But he’s not waking up!” The feminine voice cried, becoming shaky with a sniffle.

“Harry, you’re making Hermione cry.”

“I’m up!” I groaned out, weakly shoving my hand until it collided with a face, the sniveling stopped. I slowly cracked open an eye and found a face near mine. “Hi, ‘Mione…”

“Would you stop being so stupid!” Hermione pounded her fist against my chest which definitely brought me back to my senses.

“Ow! Okay okay! I underestimated that thing!” I push myself up in a sitting position when Lupin handed me some chocolate.

“Here, it’ll help.” Lupin smiled patiently, but his eyes burned with fury. “I’ll speak with the conductor about this. Dementors on the train… What is the Ministry doing?” He muttered to himself, rubbing a hand over his unshaven face. “Send Harry to the Hospital Wing when the train reaches Hogwarts for a quick check-up and a hot chocolate.”

Lupin stepped out of the compartment and stormed off, no doubt going to give the conductor a piece of his mind, wand out ready to strike any more Dementors that dare enter this train.

“Chocolate? How the bloody hell is chocolate-”

“Mmmm~ Chocolate~” I hummed in pure pleasure as I munched on the treat, warmth, and happiness returning to my body. Draco stood there, mouth hanging open after being interrupted.

“-I stand corrected…”

Wait… Dementors on the train… looking for Sirius Black…

“PHANTOM!” I stood up, not minding the blood leaving my head and I rushed out of the compartment, slamming into the opposing cart as my feet didn’t turn as fast as my brain wanted. I heard Draco’s voice calling out after me and some students poking their heads out to see what’s going on. Most of them returned to their own thing when they realized that it was just me.

I rushed into the pet room, causing some owls to screech in shock. Phantom was tucked deep in the corner of the car, tail tucked to his body and his ears flat. He lifted his head up when he spotted me running to him.

“Hey boy… are you okay?” I kneel down and scratch behind his ear. “Stupid Ministry sending out Dementors. I met Fudge during Christmas and he has to be one of the weakest people I have ever met in my life…” I give him a hug. “I had my first encounter with a Dementor.”

Phantom lets out a growl and I felt him raise his hackles.

“Yeah, not fun. Luckily Mr. Lupin was there to send it away and gave me chocolate. I just wanted to check up on you and Sansa…” I reached over to give the tense girl a quick pet and then I stood up. “You’re safe in here, they won’t bother animals.”

When I opened the door, there stood Draco with his arms crossed and foot tapping the carpet. He sticks his head in to look at Phantom. “Hello, Draco Malfoy. We’ll get to know each other later. And _you!_ ” I found my arm grabbed and being pulled back to the compartment. “Every bloody time you do something, you end up injured and then immediately do more stupid things! Stop being a Gryffindor and be more like a Slytherin. I should ask my father if students can be resorted because I’m starting to disagree with the hat.”

“Bye, Phantom!” I called out to my dog and returned with Draco to Hermione. She was checking on Neville, Luna, and Ginny. All three of them seemed fine but Neville was trembling a little. I dug into my pocket and handed him a chocolate frog. “Neville, eat some chocolate with the girls, it’ll help you recover from being near the Dementor.”

“Thanks, Harry…” The three of them shared the frog and my personal trio returned to our compartment, Lupin still wasn’t back.

I’m glad I bought a book on Latin words. I need to figure out how to get rid of Dementors before they become a problem later on..

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

Pomfrey reluctantly allowed me to attend the Sorting Ceremony after I told her about the chocolate. Now I’m stuck with a goblet full of the stuff at the table, during the final stretch of summer. If this was the majority of America, I’d be too busy boiling my butt off to drink the stuff.

But this is Scotland so it’s all good~.

Dumbledore stood before us all at the podium. “Before we come to enjoy our feast, allow me to introduce Professor R.J. Lupin, who has agreed to be our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor.”

Lupin stood awkwardly, giving a polite bow but his smiling faltered slightly when he noticed not many people were clapping. The first years had started to clap, but when they noticed they were the only ones they stopped, awkwardly looking between themselves in a manner that was too adorable in my opinion. Actually, nearly everyone second year and older were sitting there in silence, as if waiting for something.

Oh… shoot. I forgot.

I quickly slapped my hands together in a single, solid, clap and the room became deafening. Third years cheered, second years followed what the third years were doing and the poor 11-year-olds are still trying to figure out why it took their seniors this long to react. The fourth years and older were politely clapping but many of them just looked more amused than anything else. Lupin and I locked eyes and I gave him a thumbs-up with a big grin which took him by surprise. There is no way I am going to let Lupin feel unwelcome while I’m at school and any student that has a problem with _him_ is going to have to go through me.

“AW YEAH! This is gonna be _wicked!_ ” George shouted out while his brother was also shouting words of encouragement, effectively hyping up the Gryffindor table’s older students. Once we settled down, Dumbledore continued to speak

“Another inclusion to our staff, is our very own Rubeus Hagrid as our Care of Magical Creatures professor.” Dumbledore sweeps his hand towards Hagrid and I made sure to let everyone in this room know that I am excited by giving him a big ol’ yell.

“WOOHOO!” My voice was only rivaled by the twins, who took it as their personal mission to be louder than me, which in turn made several other students join in. It now became a competition as to who could cheer for Hagrid the loudest, and I think Neville was winning.

Dumbledore did nothing to hide the grin on his face.

“It’s wonderful to have students bring out positive energy during such dark times. As you all may know, because of Sirius Black’s escape from Azkaban, Hogwarts has taken serious defensive measures to protect its students. Doors and paintings have been trained over the summer to recognize his face and to immediately report the nearest teacher,” Dumbledore explained with a calmness to his tone, but it does nothing to silence students whispering. “Another is that Hogwarts, until Sirius Black’s capture, will play host to the Dementors of Azkaban.”

And the whispering stopped.

“Tch… a basilisk roams Hogwarts and nothing is done about it until Colin is petrified. Sirius Black isn’t even confirmed on the grounds and we have Dementors flying around,” I grumbled, letting my displeasure be known to all by loudly slamming my elbow onto the table and resting my head against my fist. “Ow…”

“You had that coming,” Blaise pointed out.

“Shush let me be mad.” I rested my head on the table and zoned out Dumbledore’s little motivational speech about darkness and light. We had our feast with mostly catching up with everyone at the fact that these aren’t my adorably innocent friends anymore, Pansy is blossoming and Blaise’s lost more baby fat. The only ones that seemed to have almost no changes were Crabbe and Goyle, but Crabbe’s gotten some more muscle.

We returned to the Common Room, where after saying good night to Pansy, Draco, Blaise, and I reached our room. Blaise and Draco stopped at the doorway while I tackled a black mass on my bed. “Phantom! Were you a good boy for the house-elves?” I cooed, hugging him while I got slobbered on in return. “Okay, okay ew ew ew!” 

“You’re taking a bath before bed,” Draco ordered, walking over to pet Phantom. “Doubt Black is going to come in here to attack us while we sleep.”

“Is it safe?” Blaise asked, keeping a wide distance away from us. “Is he trained at all?”

“Are you scared of dogs, Blaise?” I asked, practically laying on Phantom. “Yes, he’s safe and trained, I got him as a guard dog so we could sleep easier. He’s cuddled with me all night before and well… I’m still alive.”

Blaise still inched away, fidgeting with robes. _Oh..._

I glanced down at Phantom and noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes. Oh heck no. I gently pressed my arm down on his snout to keep him still. “Leave Blaise be and don’t bother him. _I mean it, Phantom_.” I made sure to hold him still until he whined and showed the white of his eyes.

“Harry, it’s a dog. He can’t understand more than a few words.” Draco crossed his arms but looked impressed nonetheless that I could control and order a dog that was almost as big as me.

“Well, he’s either going to learn to mind or face disciplines.” I vanished into the bathroom to clean my face, change my clothes, and do my typical Animagus chant shtick. Unlike some people in the wizarding world, I don’t like using people’s phobias and fears as a form of pranks. I’d never put spiders in Ron’s shoes -it was the twins’ job to scare their brother anyway- so if Blaise has to be forced to be in the same room as a massive dog, I’m going to make sure there are boundaries for him.

I stepped back into the room and made Phantom jump onto the bed, me joining him soon after so I can get the good snuggles. Blaise gave Phantom an unsure glance, but once it settled into his mind that the dog wasn’t going to go near him he too went to bed. The lights finally died after Draco did his usual nightly routine which always takes an hour. 

Meh, who am I to judge?

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“I am _not_ wearing my tie to this class,” I stated as us Slytherins and the Gryffindors make the slow trek down to the Forbidden Forest, the Care of Magical Creatures book growling under my arm. I kept an eye on Draco, who was happily munching on a green apple like it was the world’s greatest creation since sliced bread. This is our first lesson for Care of Magical Creatures, meaning we’re going to encounter a specific winged creature.

Phantom was here too, but he remained at the top of the hill, laying down to enjoy the light breeze while we entered the forest.

Hagrid was waiting just at the base, covered in dead ferrets and rats draped over his shoulders. “Welcome ter yer firs’ lesson in Care o’ Magical Creatures. Come on, we have a special guest waitin’ for us.”

As we walked, Hagrid began to explain the key points of the class, something that many teachers here tend to forget to remind us every year. Many of the Gryffindors appreciated Hagrid’s assistance in opening their textbooks while many of the Slytherins besides Draco, Pansy, and I kept sour expressions.

A few minutes into our walking, we reached a clearing where there stood a tall, grey, feathered griffin-like creature with intelligent eyes and more horse than a lion in shape.

“This ‘ere, is a hippogriff,” Hagrid introduced to Buckbeak by tossing a ferret at the creature. “Now hippogriffs, are tempered creatures, yer must show yer respect wit’ a bow.”

‘How do you breed a hippogriff?’ I thought to myself. ‘Are they unique creatures of their own genus, or are they a crossbreed? Griffon and horse? How do you convince two different species to breed in the first place? How does the biology to crossbreed two very different species even work to ensure consistency enough to label it as a single speci- wait why am I closer to him?’

“There yer go, Harry, now bow an’ wait for Buckbeak to bow back,” Hagrid instructed gently. Wait, when did I volunteer? When did Hagrid pick me?! When did I zone out that bad?!

Why do I keep doing this to myself?!

I looked back at Hagrid and the other classmates then back to the massive… intimidating creature looking mildly offended with every passing second. Merlin, it was like Sansa… if Sansa became ugly and gained a horse's body with an affinity for bowing.

My back went rigid as I prayed at the very least _that_ didn’t make it out of my mouth.

Buckbeak slammed his front right hoof on the ground and let out a screech, absolutely furious that a little human like me dares to stand there in utter fear in its presence. I heard Hagrid starting to make his way towards me to keep me from getting trampled when my brain regained control of my body.

Straightening my back and neck, slammed my arms against my body, and bent my spine by 45 degrees, and just stayed there. I do not want to come anywhere near this thing but I also don’t want to risk running away.

A moment passed, and I’m still staring at the ground when the sound of hooves moving and students behind me began to clap.

“Ver’ good, Harry! Now, bet he’d let yer ride him.” Hagrid walked over and before I could protest, I’m hoisted into the air and placed on Buckbeak. “Now hang on, but don’t ruffle his feathers, he won’ forgive you if you break some.”

“Hagrid that’s a bad idea!” Hermione called out and I saw her trying to walk over. But she was too slow.

Buckbeak spread out his wings and took off into the air. I do what every sane person does, and screams bloody murder while clinging onto an egotistical horse-bird with an affinity for flying!

The wind smacked against my face as Buckbeak was flying higher and higher until he stopped _going_ up and flew at the same altitude, only then did I open my eyes. Buckbeak flew higher than Hogwarts, the sun hitting the castle at the perfect angle to cast a shadow that loomed over the whomping willow like a blanket of darkness. By the forest, I spotted the black dot that was Phantom. It was… really pretty up here…

And then my mind came back to its senses to remind me that I do _not_ like this.

“I want down! I WANT _DOWN_!” I did _not_ go through five different levels of voice cracks while yelling at Buckbeak and I am _not_ about to burst into tears. I _did_ , however, let out another scream when Buckbeak decided he had enough and nosedived to the ground!

Buckbeak landed by Hagrid and all but threw me off, caught by our terrified professor. He threw the Hippogriff a ferret and took me to my friends, apologizing profusely.

"I'm sorry Harry, had I known yer were scared o' flyin' I wouldn-"

"Hagrid," I said while swallowing a thick layer of saliva, my mouth feeling like I ran a mile and panted about as heavily. "It's fine… it's okay… you didn't know…"

Another breath, another swallow, use Draco's shoulder as a pillow.

"L-let Ron have a turn. He likes flying. Ron- don't give me that look, go fly the bloody horse-bird!"

Ron rolled his eyes and approached Buckbeak, giving a clumsy bow that ended with him falling on his face. Buckbeak took this in good humor and bowed back, nudging the boy with his powerful beak and letting out a squawk, straightening himself out when Hagrid tossed him a ferret. Hagrid helped Ron climb onto the creature and Buckbeak took off, Ron yelled as he was taken into the air… but that noise was significantly happier than whatever noises of terror I made.

Beside us, some of the students whispered dares and bets, seeing who Buckbeak would allow to ride with next as Ron’s yells of pure joy could be heard over Hogwarts.

Draco munched on a brand new green apple and I snickered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I did not remember Crookshanks existed until I had finished writing the book, so now I have to go through the chapters and occasionally add that cat in, so... if any scene feels shoehorned in... they are. My apologies. I love cats, I am a cat person 100%, but this cat is one of the most pointless additions to the series because he's only useful for like, one book.
> 
> I also added in the Buckbeak scene mostly because I don't plan on doing much with the class and I didn't know where to put it. So it was just a nice little thing to add to the end of the chapter.
> 
> The next chapter has the first DADA class with Lupin... and you all should know what will entail. That took me several days of rewriting... heh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry now has a new favorite subject and things just can never go his way, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Disturbing imagery in the second half of the chapter with implied character deaths and gore.

“I’ll see you guys later!” I waved to the majority of my friends as they, for some inexplicable reason, all decided that Divination was the class for them while the rest had a free period except for Hermione. That was who I was walking with to our Muggle Studies class, a long walk that was mostly spent following Hermione because I’ve never been to this chunk of the castle. Phantom was left under the care of Dobby, who was more than happy to take the well-behaved canine for a walk around the grounds since that gave Dobby something to do out of the kitchen and Phantom didn’t have to wait for me.

Hermione stuck next to me like glue. Jokes on Ron and Neville, I don’t have to worry about her randomly materializing next to me.

“Harry?” Hermione started, earning a small hum from me to indicate that I was not in La La Land as per usual. “How has your… you know…?”

“Dobby, a house-elf, is helping me with it and he hid it in a secret location. I’m just grateful that I don’t have to taste vinegar anymore,” I say with a violent shiver, still remembering that taste after a month of Mrs. Weasley’s lovely cooking. I snuck a glare at Hermione, looking so smug I’d mistake her for Draco. “Did you _really_ have to make it taste like that?”

“Well, do you plan on trying to learn dangerous spells behind my back again?” She asked with an amused huff.

A weak, harmless growl settles in my throat to sound like a gutted whine.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then!”

I’ve put way too much influence on this girl. What happened to my sweet, little, Gryffindor Hermione? “You’re evil…” She merely giggled.

I was surprised to find that the classroom was on the first floor of Hogwarts, I could have sworn it was… on an upper floor to say the least. 

Well, no time like the present to see a classroom that never showed up in the movies!

...

I am coming to the conclusion that wizards outside of pureblooded Slytherins have no idea how to decorate their environments without clutter. Every inch of the class not used for walking space or desks was covered in muggle technology and items. The west wall covered from top to bottom in tools, electrical cords, and… how in the world did they get a Nintendo R.O.B.?!

I leaned into Hermione’s space to whisper, “This professor has earned my respect, you do _not_ just have some of this stuff open for children to touch.” That earned me a light elbow to my ribs, but Hermione had a small smile on her lips while I examined the different muggle items. It’s like a museum of itemized history, just disorganized!

Our other classmates came in, and besides a Hufflepuff named Ernie Macmillan, I wasn’t particularly familiar with many of the students. Some were older than us, more likely taking this subject thinking it would be easy or swapped due to scheduling. We all got into seats, I naturally sat as close to all of the nerdier stuff- How the bloody hell does she have a first edition copy of Superman?!

I spy with my little eye something beginning with a CD rack with an over-sized CD player, yes please!

Enter Professor Charity Burbage, a middle-aged woman who’s age lines are those that only come from educating children. Her hair sported thin copper hair pulled back by an equally thin headband. Instead of robes, she was dressed in a modest earthy colored skirt, white blouse with autumn leaves, and a long, soft green cardigan which showed her thin frame and comfy shoes. She looked over the class with sternness, but not to McGonagall’s level, and a gentle glow in her eyes but not to the same level as Pomfrey. This was a woman who immediately made me want to straighten my back, fold my hands on the desk, and get ready to open a workbook to answer a page…

Okay, she just _really_ feels like a primary school teacher, specifically an American teacher.

“I want to start off the class with a few questions,” And my shoulders dropped. Great… is she another Lockhart- “Who here has either been raised by or lives with at least one muggle?”

Nevermind. That was a good first question.

Hermione, two girls, a boy, and I all raised our hands.

“Hm, nine students and five raised hands. Perfect, that gives a fair balance of perspectives!” Burbage clapped her hands lightly once and waved a hand to the classroom. “Welcome to Muggle Studies, a subject that I hope will bring new perspectives to students in their further studies into the muggle world and the integration of muggle and wizardkind. By the end of the term, you will be expected to have learned how muggles use science and technology to survive without magic. Further studies will go into muggle cultures and how wizard magic may have been related to their religion and folklore.”

Yep, I’m in for the long run, bring on the science!

“For the first few months, we will start with the history of the relation between muggles, wizards, and witches. Unlike muggles books…” Burbage went behind her desk and pulled out the thickest book I have ever seen in this life, made purely out of animal skins, and set it on her desk, “much of the ancient texts have been preserved by wizarding magic and translated as languages die off and new ones are born.”

She gave a playful wink to us, “Don’t tell Professor Binns I have this, the former Muggle Studies professor kept it locked away from that silly ghost. It’s not every day we have a primary source from King Arthur and his encounters with Merlin.”

She opened the book, having us open our Muggle Studies textbooks so we can compare what sources say. This is going to be a rather informative class.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Let’s not tell Draco about the origin of magic,” I concluded to Hermione after class. While she was frantically packing her bags and occasionally touching a _very_ familiar necklace, I was lounging in my seat, longing to touch everything in this room. Several students were conversing with each other, Ernie asking Burbage a few questions about muggles and magic. While Burbage didn’t specifically state where sources believe magic to have originated, it’s a pretty simple theory if you have knowledge of science and biology. Magic simply has always been there, it’s just a random genetic mutation that’s been passed down, kinda like blond hair, and being able to drink dairy!

The best part about that last fact is all of the weird looks I got.

“He would be going absolutely mad if he was in this class,” Hermione said with a laugh then cleared her throat when she threw on her school bag. “I have to go, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, I need to ask the professor something and then probably get Phantom.” I lean back into my chair and watch as she heads out. Hmm… I should just confront her about the time-traveling so she stops being so fidgety. Oh, Ernie’s done talking!

I leapt to my feet and walked over to Burbage, “Professor Burbage?”

“Yes, Mr. Potter?” She rested her arms on her desk and leaned forward, looking as attentive as to when she talked to Ernie.

“I was um…” I reached up to scratch the back of my beck. “So you know how, uh, muggles have a lot of different kinds of books?”

“Yes?” She asked calmly, I really have to give this woman props for sounding so calm while a 13-year-old is being tongue-tied.

“I like reading, a lot, but Hogwarts doesn’t have many muggle books to read unless they’re academic and I know a lot of my friends tend to ask questions about muggle culture so I know it’s not just a few people interested in muggle culture- sorry, I’m rambling.” I let out a nervous chuckle, I really do not do good at making requests. “Would it be possible to make a book club?”

Burbage leaned back into her chair and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “I don’t see why not. I will talk about it with Headmaster Dumbledore and see if students are interested. I will also select the first book that will be read, just something to start off with and then you and the other club members can pick themes. As per school rules, the books will be funded by Hogwarts, but because these are books, I will permit students to keep the books.”

“Yes! Yes, that would be perfect! Are there… any academic requirement to what we would need to read if the club is made?”

“Depends on what the Headmaster says. Just make sure you pick books that can be used as discussions and that no one is forced to read a book if you go into subjects that may be delicate. Also, have a plan for the books that students do not want to keep.” Burbage stood up and waved her wand, cleaning up her chalkboard. “You can store them for future use, have them pass it on to other students, or donate them to muggle charities. If I find out that you are using this club to goof around after classes or there is bullying being done, I will shut the club immediately.”

“I understand completely. Thank you!” I left the classroom with a skip in my step. I needed this, I haven’t had the chance to enjoy new muggle books in ages! The only downside is that I grew up in the 21st century, most books I’ve read won’t be made for at least another decade or will never _be_ written because… for obvious reasons. Luckily, I fancy classics when they come my way.

Now… time to go find Phantom.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Do you think Hermione has a doppelganger?” Ron asked me as both his group of friends and mine collectively merged into one mass of kids on our way to the DADA classroom. “I think I’m going mad, Harry. One moment she’s not near Neville or me during Divination and the next she’s sitting next to us! I thought she had Muggle Studies with you?”

“She does,” I answer casually, reaching down to scratch behind Phantom’s ear.

“But she was in Divination!”

“She has that too, I thought we went over this over the summer?” Okay, this was fun.

“B-but she… and you were with…” Ron's head and shoulders slumped. “Why did I bother asking you about it?”

“Dunno, you should ask yourself that more often, mate,” I say while patting his back. “Don’t worry about it too much. If Hermione feels she’s taking too much for her to handle she’ll go back to a normal schedule.”

“Yeah… you’re right. You're almost always right,” Ron sighed. “Well, here we are…”

I was the one to open the classroom door and the room had been completely cleaned out of desks and rugs. Molly and Narcissa’s plants, the dummies, and the upgraded interior still remained but standing in the farther half of the class was Lupin and a rattling cabinet.

"Welcome, welcome! No need for books this lesson but do have your wands!" Lupin announced with a smile, tired but genuine. We filtered into the room while Phantom took this opportunity to bask in the sun's rays outside. "Now, can anyone tell me what might be in this cabinet?"

Hermione shot her hand up. "A boggart, sir."

"Very good, Hermione, five points to Gryffindor." I totally forgot that points were still important. "I see some of you look nervous. I was informed by your former professors about the Pixie incident. No, this creature is relatively harmless physically, but it depends on what it turns into."

Lupin smacks the cabinet, causing it to rattle, and scratching noises could be heard inside.

"See, boggarts turn into what you fear the most. This lesson is to help you learn how to combat them as they like to hide in small, dark places and are complete pests for new homeowners," Some students laughed at Lupin's explanation. "Everyone ready your wands and repeat after me: _Riddikulus_!"

" _Riddikulus_!" We all parroted back while copying Lupin's wand movement.

“Very good! Now, who shall go first…” Lupin’s eyes landed on me for a moment then his gaze shifted elsewhere. “Why not you, Neville?”

Neville looked at the rest of us, and with an encouraging push from me, he stepped forward to Lupin. He smiled and motioned to the cabinet with his head. “Now, what is it that frightens you the most?” Lupin clasped his hands behind his back. “It’s alright, this is a safe place.”

“I-I’d rather not say… It’s embarrassing…” Neville answered back. I couldn’t help but notice his head started to turn but he then forced himself to stay focused on the professor. “I-I know what it is though…”

“Excellent, now, think of something that could make it _funny_ ,” Lupin emphasized. “Laughter is the greatest weakness of the boggart. If you can find humor in your fears, it will not only make the boggart’s powers weaker but make you stronger in turn.”

Lupin went to the cabinet and once he confirmed that Neville was ready, he opened the cabinet.

I… feel mildly insulted.

A very familiar hand slowly pushed the door out of its way and I stepped out of the cabinet. Blaise was snickering up a storm behind me while my eyebrow shot up like a rocket. Neville calmly watched the not-me approach him.

There was a staring contest, and then…

“ _Neville!_ ” The not-me exclaimed with glee. And by glee, I mean the thing is practically vibrating from the atomic level and clapping his hands like a school girl. “ _You’re a genius mate! I remembered that conversation we had the other day and I figured out this spell that can cause me to multiply-_ ”

Why are there now two me’s? And why does one of the me’s have a big bruise on their head?! I'm not that accident prone!

“ _I think if I use my clone as a distraction, I can use that spell I developed to kill a Dementor._ ”

I blinked a few times and crossed my arms over my chest. Why did I not think about that? Dementors are stupid creatures and would fall for that trick easily! “That actually sounds really cool-”

“ ** _NO!_** ”

The room became eerily silent and still. Why? Because that scream was from half of the class, aka all of my friends and then the people who are familiar with my desire to kill things that could easily kill me. Okay then… I need to have a word with Neville about his fear then.

“Uh… ah… _Riddikulus_!” Neville shouted, pointing his wand at the boggart.

The boggart shifted its form, and I found myself staring at me, wearing stereotypical striped prison garb… in a sealed baby playpen, covered in a comically large amount of bandages.

While the class finally broke into laughter, I just sulked. Draco's head collided with my shoulder and I had to wrap my arm around Pansy's waste so she wouldn't collapse from her cackles.

Lupin also laughed, clapping his hands in praise. “Excellent work, Neville! Now, go to the back of the class if you’d please. Everyone form a line! Quickly now!” 

Everyone scrambled to get in line, with me finding myself standing somewhere within the first half of the line despite not moving from my spot in the classroom. Neville didn’t get back in the line so while Ron was dealing with a massive black widow, I gave my dear friend a dirty look.

“Wanna explain to me what that was all about, buddy?” I asked him, my thumb pointed over my shoulder and towards the cabinet.

Neville gave me a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you’re always getting hurt, especially on your head. I’m… scared that I might give you an idea that’ll get you even more hurt than before.”

“... Well, I did like the idea of the duplicating spell, but I would need to do some serious research first…” I reached over and did my usual patting of his cheek, internally frowning at how much baby fat he’s lost. Everyone is growing up. “I can promise you that I’m not going to get hurt because you gave me an idea.”

“He can get hurt on his own by doing that,” Draco piped in, nudging me forward as the line has already gone through a few people, I didn’t even realize that people were laughing. “This is moving by fast, I’m impressed by him though… disheveled as he is, would it kill it to comb his hair?”

“Would it kill Snape to use shampoo?” I responded back.

“Touche.”

Parvati, the person ahead of me, stepped forward towards the boggart and it shifted into a massive cobra, hood flaring and hissing at the girl. She gulped, casting the spell and the snake twisted its form into… a freaky looking clown jack-in-the-box that rocked back and forth with it’s slow, high pitched chuckling and- why the bloody hell is everyone laughing?! This is _creepy_!

“I think I would have preferred the snake…” I glared at the clown with hatred. Stupid painted faced abominations that plagues modern culture by being serial killers. You can’t trust these kinds of people in all honesty.

“Harry, your turn!” Lupin called out, his posture said relaxed, but the tightening grip of his wand spelled another story.

I look over my shoulder to get confirmation from Draco that, yes, I can go forward and began to walk. My heart started to race all of a sudden. What... what exactly would my boggart be? I know for a _fact_ that it’s not a Dementor or Voldemort. I’m not as scared of spiders as I was in my past life and… nothing much comes to mind in terms of what can be presented into physical form.

Or so I thought.

The boggart’s form shifted, twisting and pulling until it produced a scene rather than an object. Standing before me was a cloaked figure, a… woman with familiar brown hair that curled at the tips, most of her face covered, but that smirk. Tucked under her chest in an all too familiar fashion was an arm, gripping a chef's knife like she was ready to cut something and I followed the length of her other arm… her hand was tightly gripping Hermione’s hair while the girl laid limp. That wasn't right.

Hermione shouldn't be there in her grasps!

'No… no no no, Hermione just finished her boggart! She’s with Pansy!' I wanted to look away, turn to make sure she was okay, but my eyes wouldn’t obey. My eyes wanted me to see. See Hermione held by the ghost of my past, see that there were more bodies behind her, bodies of people I call my friends. 'Spines weren’t supposed to stick out like that… eyes aren't supposed to bleed! Why are they not getting up?! Why is no one breathing?!'

The only thing I could see that I knew was real was Lupin, frozen in shock with his mouth opened loosely like he didn’t understand what he was seeing.

I can’t keep my wand steady. ‘Think of something funny! Thinks of something funny! WHY IS NOTHING FUNNY?!’ Nothing was coming to my mind, all I could think of was the death behind the woman. This isn’t right, none of this is right! _THINK OF A FUNNY THOUGHT, HARRY!_

“You’re changing too much, Harry…” The voice rang out like a distant memory on a winter wind and all I could do was wait for my blood to turn to ice. The woman took a step forward, dragging Hermione with her until her breath was brushing against my cheek and I finally saw her eyes. “Each change is something new and exciting, something you’d never expect to happen… but what will happen when your path is gone? Can you be prepared when all you have ever known suddenly vanishes? CAN YOU SAVE THOSE DAMNED WHILE PROTECTING THE ONES YOU LOVE?!”

The woman’s arm moved from her chest and began to move the knife towards Hermione.

“NO!” I shot my arm out, trying to grab Hermione. My wand hand dropped the useless stick and instead undid the clasp of the crystal casing of the basilisk fang. This isn’t real! This can’t be real! “Give her back!”

“Wrong choice,” She laughed and turned her head to the unconscious girl at her mercy, suddenly teleporting several steps back.

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ HURT HER!" Was the unholy screech that was the sound of my voice as I took a step forward with the fang in my grasp. If she wouldn't let Hermione go, I would _make her._

Just as the knife began to cross Hermione’s throat and I'm about to stab the woman with the fang, Lupin ran and pushed me aside so he now stood in front of the woman. As blood was about to escape from my friend’s neck, the woman changed into a full moon. Lupin casted the counter-curse to turn it into a deflating balloon, soaring around students then going into the cabinet. Lupin swiftly spun around and took the wrist holding the fang, hanging on with a tight grip until the object slipped from my grasp and landed with a hollow _clank_. I wouldn't look at him. I was looking past him, wondering where the bodies went? Where was the blood? Where's Hermione...?

Nobody moved except for myself and Lupin. I fell to the ground as my legs succumbed to gravity, curling up in a ball while I heard Lupin speak to others. “Sorry everyone, but I’m afraid that’s all for today’s lesson. No homework either.” Some students who hadn’t seen what was going on groaned in protest, but many began to filter out while someone’s hand touched my shoulder.

“Harry?” Hermione questioned softly. My head shot up to see her beautiful, living face. “I’m here.”

“Hermione…?” I reached up and touched her face, tracing the lines, and touching her hair. She’s… she’s okay. I didn’t lose her! But… “But I… when I reached for you… I… she…”

You died…

It was because of me.

How are you alive?

"That was a boggart, Harry," Hermione whispered in a soothing voice, "I'm okay. I was never in any danger."

"But you... and I... I was slow- you were there- it was so much like real..."

Hermione sighed and looked over her shoulder.

“I think he's in shock. Someone get Phantom, please!” Hermione called out and I was pulled into a hug. Her voice became a mantra, a reassurance. "I'm here... Draco's here... Neville's here... Luna is in class..." She held me, reciting what each of our friends were doing... reciting that they were alive.

Lupin was apologizing but someone told him that everything was okay. Familiar footsteps ran out of the classroom and when the footsteps of paws trot into the room, Lupin gasped. Something wet touched my hand and I broke. I reached out, blindly grasping black fur and burying my face into the abyss, tears falling out of my face as every logical sense fails me, nothing mattered.

I took a deep breath...

And screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry's boggart scene was something I rewrote 2-3 times before I came up with this one. Boggarts are simple creatures and they can't show abstract fears, but can create things that represent the abstract thought. Harry's fear is making a mistake based on ignorance and the boggart translated that fear into the mistake Harry never wants to make. I love being able to throw in Harry's former body into random scenes because of, naturally, the symbolism but also because no one besides him knows who the heck this lady is. 
> 
> Also, since a certain author refused to develop her world to it's full potential, I'm making up the curriculum for Muggle Studies. It's not going to be brought up much, since describing every lesson would take 200 chapters and be boring, but this Muggle Studies is going to be based on what I would teach if I was the professor. I also threw in my two-cents on how magic developed in some but not others. I know once you explain the magic it loses the... well... magic, but come on, this world already established that magic is genetically linked, I'm gonna go all out on it then.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love typing rants, it's a good stress reliever.

**3rd Person**

Lupin wasn’t having the best of luck today.

He thought the boggart lesson was going well. The kids were laughing and engaging with each other, he even saw students from both houses exchange words of encouragement. What Molly had told him was true; Slytherin and Gryffindor’s bond was stronger than ever before. But then Harry’s turn came…

He wasn’t expecting that to be the boy’s fear. A woman, killing his friends and speaking in a way that seems only Harry could understand. Even if many of the students told him not to worry… he couldn’t help it. This was his close friend’s son and he probably traumatized the poor boy.

Which is why he was helping Lucius’ son, Draco, led Harry to the hospital wing and being followed by a black dog that brought unwanted memories. 

“Madam Pomfrey!” Draco called out with, what Lupin could only describe as a wave of annoyance. “Harry’s here! A bad encounter with a boggart!”

Lupin could only watch dumbfounded as the matriarch witch took one look at Harry, sighed, and began to open a bottle of Calming Draught. Draco settled Harry into a bed- when did the Hospital wing have green blankets?- while the large black dog hopped onto the bed with him. Draco waited for Harry to drink the potion, and when the boy’s face was returned into the pitch-black fur, Draco gave a nod to Lupin and left the Hospital Wing.

Lupin still stood there, unsure how to process how quickly things moved. “Is… this a common occurrence?”

“Seems to happen sooner each year.” Pomfrey pulled the green blanket over Harry’s body. He was awake but seemed to preoccupy himself with the dog’s ears. “I assume you were teaching students the countercurse for boggarts, Remus?”

It always felt weird having professors that used to call him “Mr. Lupin” now referring to him by his first name. “Yes, I was letting students have turns trying out the spell and I wasn’t expecting Harry’s turn to become so…”

“Can’t predict fears, I doubt the boy knew it himself if he was willing to have a turn,” Pomfrey stopped Lupin from explaining anything in detail. She tucked the covers under Harry’s body, seemingly focused on making sure his legs and feet were wrapped in the blanket then stepped back to admire her handiwork. “Did he give you any problems in class?”

“No! Goodness, he was polite and encouraged students to participate if anything else!” Lupin's head reared back, baffled at the idea of Harry giving him problems. Then again, he received an unusually large amount of “good luck”s from both staff and several students today… even Severus wished him luck! Severus!

“Oh! Then you have nothing to worry about for the rest of the year. Mr. Potter seems to have developed a sixth sense for the Defence Against the Dark Arts professors and has yet to make a false judgment. Apparently, this information spread throughout the students like an outbreak of Dragon Pox and, after what happened last year, even the older students check for his judgement.” She reached down and carefully pulled out the tan ribbon with sweets pattern from Harry’s hair, letting it rest on the bedside table. “He’ll be out of here before the end of lunch, just needs a minute to let the potion run through his system.”

Madam Pomfrey left the main room to her office, leaving Lupin with his student and a rather tense dog. That dog… it couldn’t be…

Lupin summoned a chair, sitting by the bed with his wand held tightly in his hand, occasionally looking at the dog who made a point to not look at him. If this is...

“Harry-... I uh…” Lupin’s mouth felt dry, words leaving him.

“Not your fault...Didn’t know what my fears would be until now… makes too much sense.” Harry wrapped his arms around the dog, trying to get as physically close to it as possible.

Lupin leaned back in his chair with a sigh. No, asking him about what that fear was wouldn’t solve anything, not if Lupin himself didn’t want to know what Harry would say about it. The boy is under too much pressure at his age, it’s only natural he’s afraid of his friends' safety. Best to change the subject.

He glanced at the large creature with caution. “Nice dog.”

“His name is Phantom… I think he’s a German Shepherd,” Harry said, pulling his face away from the fur so he could speak clearly. “Professor Snape said I could bring him to Hogwarts if I can prove that he’s trained and safe to students.”

Phantom let out a soft whine, nudging Harry’s head with his snout.

“How long have you had him?”

“I got him in July from a shelter, the lady there said that he’s been there since someone abandoned him during Christmas… his time was almost up, I couldn’t leave him there. Who would give up their pet on Christmas? That's like abandoning your family.”

"Yes, that is horrible," Lupin said and tilted his head. Sirius broke out of Azkaban in late spring, not to mention if Harry has had this dog for that long and the boy is still alive… Yes, there are plenty of black dogs in the world. Perhaps he's just being paranoid. It has been twelve years since he's last seen Sirius' Animagus form so he might have the breeds confused. Besides, why would Sirius wait until Hogwarts to kill Harry when he would have had ample time at whatever home Harry was staying in?

Lupin stood up and gave Phantom a couple of gentle pats on the head, “Well, thank you for looking after one of my students, Phantom.” The dog stared at him for a long time, before flattening his ears in a submissive fashion and returned to what appears to be his main job in life: comforting the boy next to him. “I have to go, I have another class to teach today.”

He left the Hospital Wing and walked to the classroom, his gut still telling him that something wasn’t right.

If only he had the map...

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**Harry’s POV**

“Who's the bestest boy in the world~? Who's the bestest, prettiest, smartest boy in all of the world~? It's you!” I praised Phantom after leaving the hospital wing. All of my friends and I were gathered in our favorite outdoor study spot and instead of… you know… _studying_ I’m smooshing Phantom’s face in my hand and giving him plenty of affection. His face is so smooshable!

“Harry, it’s a dog, you’re being way too affectionate with it,” Draco groaned, sitting between me and Blaise. His nose scrunched up when Luna materialized next to me and was also petting Phantom. 

“We don’t listen to the mean Malfoy, now do we?” I give Phantom a hug, who was just taking everything in stride. Honestly, this is gonna be super awkward when Sirius finally reveals his true identity, but right now he’s fluffy, smells like apples -hooray for wizarding shampoo- and he needs as much love and attention as he can get right now. That includes lots of kisses!

Draco rolled his eyes and returned to his book. “Oh forget it. You’re going to keep doing that even if one of us told you to stop.”

“Good boy~!” I praised out loud.

Hermione giggled. “Was that for Phantom or for Draco, Harry?”

“Yes.”

That got a shoe thrown at my head from a certain Malfoy.

Luna gave soft pats to Phantom’s head, admiring his eyes. “He has intelligent eyes… almost like a human's,” She hummed to herself while continuing her petting. “Phantom may have been a musician in his past life. I heard that their souls remain intact as they reincarnate into their next form.”

“Reincarnation doesn’t exist, it's completely illogical,” Hermione argued gently, but firmly. “Phantom is just a smart dog who is bonded with Harry.”

… Well, that’s a can of worms I am not going to interact with!

“Anyway, Harry,” Hermione got my attention long enough to look away from my dog. “Why did you stay after class in Muggle Studies?”

“I asked Professor Burbage if I could open a Muggle Book Club.” I sat down on the grass, crossing my legs and before Phantom could take up the new pillow space, Pansy took over immediately. Sorry boy, this girl has been using my leg as a pillow for the last two years now. Phantom huffed and settled next to my leg. “Since a lot of muggle-borns are missing out on a non-magical education, I thought we should at least dabble in muggle books.”

“Oh, that would be absolutely fascinating! During summers my cousins would talk about everything they’ve learned during the year while… well, you can’t exactly talk about how you can turn a chair into a parrot, right?” Wait, Gryffindors did what now? “I would love to join the club!”

“But…” I motioned my hand to her books. “Won’t you be overwhelmed with homework and the readings?” Hermione’s been doing nothing but homework for the last several days, even during meals she’ll have a roll of parchment beside her, scribbling her answers as detailed as possible. It’s an all too familiar feeling that makes me dread what she'll look like when she has a crash.

Hermione stared at me, blinking slowly and thoughtfully before turning her attention to the ancient runes book in her lap. Her eyes dulled ever-so-slightly as if in a trance. “Oh… right. I am… I’m pretty busy… Sorry, Harry. I really am...” She returned to her homework, shoulders hunched close to her as if to make herself smaller.

“It’s alright, Hermione. There’s always next year, right?” I forced a smile on my face, trying to keep spirits bright. Hermione definitely needs an anchor in her school life, twelve subjects is too much. Doesn't help that Hogwarts seems to need some serious curriculum re-evaluation with how uneven the classwork and homework are in relation to what we actually learn.

“Yeah…” Hermione let out a frustrated sigh.

“I might as well join,” Blaise announced with a grin, “If you’re willing to try and make a club, gotta take a look at it.”

Neville and Luna also voiced interest in joining. Neville wanted to get into some new hobbies so he could share them with his gran during the summer and Luna… well, Luna just wanted to join. I wasn’t going to question that logic.

“Thanks, guys, you’re the best,” I flopped back onto the grass and opened one of my lighter books, Phantom letting me prop it against his side so I could read it and work on an essay. 

"Aren't you going to join, Draco? Pansy?" Neville asked the two Slytherins out of politeness.

"It's not something I'm really interested in, sorry Harry darling," Pansy answered, acting like a cat and batting at my ponytail, now draped over my shoulder and the tips of my hair above her nose.

"Quidditch," Was all that Draco supplied.

"Hm..." Neville's shoulders slumped, eyeing Draco in particular. "We'll tell you what you've been missing then."

With that, we all resumed our homework time. Not one second went by where I wasn't noticing Hermione's eyes glazing over with tears.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Potter?”

I looked behind me by bending my neck back to look at the upside-down figure of Professor Snape, who looked anything but amused. “Come to my office after dinner, I wish to have a discussion with you about the boggart incident this morning… leave your dog out of this. I would prefer not to be held responsible if it… ate something unsavory.”

“Understood, sir,” I chirped then went back to my rosemary and garlic chicken. He walked away to return to his seat and I looked at Draco. “Mind taking Phantom back to the common room with you, please?”

“Alright,” Draco responded through his vegetable mix.

After dinner I went to Phantom with Draco, putting on his lead and handing the rope to Draco. “Be good for Draco, Phantom, I’ll be back later.” He whined but obediently followed Draco to the Slytherin common room while I headed to the dungeons.

Snape was waiting, arms crossed over his chest, and locked the door with a flick of his wand.

I jumped, not expecting the sudden movement, and looked at the door, then at the professor. My heart was already beginning to reach my throat and I could barely speak. “So… the boggart.”

“You know very well… that we are not here to discuss that.” Snape shut down my words at an instant. He motioned to a chair and took a seat at his desk, patiently waiting for me to sit down.

I didn’t.

He sighed and summoned a tea set. Snape’s movements were uncharacteristically showy as he made grand gestures to emphasize the empty teapot and cups. When I finally sat down, a _crack_ of a house-elf came from the left side of the desk, odd... why would a house-elf be here? I turned towards the sound and standing in his new flannel and trousers, was Dobby.

“Dobby?” I looked at the house-elf up and down and noticed that he was holding a bronze kettle, steam coming from the spout, and a jar of tea leaves.

“Dobby was hired by Professor Dumbledore to work at Hogwarts, Harry Potter!” Dobby happily announced, not paying Snape any mind. He spoke animatedly despite the looming threat of getting hot water all over his body, causing me to cringe at the thought. “Dobby gets one Galleon a week for his work and one day off a month! Dobby is happy he can work and help Harry Potter.”

“That’s wonderful, Dobby,” I said while eyeing the kettle. “No offence but… why are you here?”

“Oh! Professor Snape said that Harry Potter would not trust any tea made by anyone that is not Dobby. So Dobby came here to show Harry Potter that the tea is safe to drink and made by Dobby and Dobby alone!” Setting the kettle and jar on Snape’s desk, Dobby climbed on top of the wood. Surprisingly, with a lot of elegance, prepared the tea and served each of us a cup. “If any more is needed, just call for Dobby!”

Just as quickly as he came, Dobby vanished from sight.

I took a sip of my tea, pleased to find that it was a blueberry herbal, and got myself cozy in my seat. Snape’s patience was growing thin, his finger tapping his desk in quick, sharp succession. He was waiting for something.

“Well?” Snape started.

“Well, what, Sir?” I responded back carelessly. 

“Are you going to explain what I saw the night I met you at the Leaky Cauldron?”

“Are you going to tell me what you put in my tea?”

“Calming Draught.” I did not expect him to explain it that quickly. “Your mind is easier to enter when you are in a state of relaxation. However, I will acknowledge that it was a poor decision.”

A scoff passed my lips and I sat the teacup down on its saucer. I leaned back into my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, one leg crossed over the other and letting the foot tap the air. If Snape thinks he’ll get the information that he wants from me that easily, he must believe I’m stupid.

“...”

“...”

“Your mind showed me death,” Snape said almost carefully. “Several to be exact. Why?

“...”

“You know about me,” He challenged with a dangerous tone. It almost felt like he was testing to see what tone would get me to talk, like if he played bad cop I'll spill all of the beans in the world at his feet. Yep, he must believe I am stupid; he wouldn't be trying otherwise.

“...”

“Are you a Seer? Your visions were more detailed than any recorded Seer in history.” This tone was now curiosity.

“...”

Silence hung in the air and once again, I could see the thinly veiled level of calmness threaten to spew out of Snape. I smirked. I smirked because I have all night. I smirked because I know it'll either go my way, or no way. As far as I’m aware, he’ll tell Dumbledore the minute I leave and at this point… I’d sooner win this battle than try to submit before a war. 

“I am… trusting you to be honest with me,” Snape started again.

"..." I raised an eyebrow.

HA!

“Sir… if you want my honesty then I want your word.” I leaned forward, dropping the polite act and locked eyes with him in a glare. “Swear to me, on your magic, on your _life_ that you will not say a _word_ of this to Dumbledore or anyone else. Nothing leaves this room.”

Snape raised a matching eyebrow but said nothing. So I continued

“You want me to trust _you_ enough to be honest? When you drugged my bloody tea? Oh no, we’re nowhere near trust at this point.” I felt my lip being pulled back into a snarl, my arms uncrossing. One arm was reaching for my wand and the other, the hand was wrapped around the crystal casing of the basilisk fang.

“Is it that important that even Dumbledore needs to be kept in the dark?”

“Yes.” A simple _click_ and the basilisk fang rested delicately in my hand. Snape’s eyes became glued to the dark object in my trembling hand. “Once Dumbledore knows, I can say goodbye to my freedom, my safety, my _life_ , and my _identity_. If Dumbledore knows what is in my head, Voldemort will not be too far behind. Tonight, things will either go my way, or I will fight until I incapacitate you and wipe your mind clean." 

Snape clenched his jaw, then opened his mouth.

"Yes, this is a threat, _Sir_.”

His jaw snapped closed at such a speed I thought he had broken a tooth for a moment.

My heart was hammering in my chest, my wand hand was getting sweaty. I’m scared- no, terrified. I’m threatening _Severus Snape_ , someone who is arguably one of the best wizards of this generation and is also my mentor. Forget Lucius and Arthur, Snape is the closest person I have to a father-figure.

I… I want to trust him… but at what cost am I willing to trust someone whose entire life revolves around being a double-agent? Am I supposed to trust the man written in pages? The man who risked everything to keep the son of the woman he loved safe? Am I supposed to trust the man who I witnessed on a giant screen, stumbling into Harry's baby room and held a dead Lily as he wailed to the world?

Or am I to look at this man like he was a stranger, someone who could abuse the privileged position of being the only reasonable adult in a child's life? What do I have to gain and what do I have to lose by losing this game?

“Perhaps, we may come to an agreement, Mr. Potter.” Snape slowly stood up and pulled out his wand and purposefully laid it on the desk so it was within my line of sight. “If you wish to keep this a secret, even at the cost of threatening me… then there is a spell that may be used to prevent me, as you expect, from telling others.”

“The _Fidelius_ charm only works if you willingly stay quiet and the Unbreakable Vow requires a third person, neither of which are good enough.” I interrupted, the grip on my wand tightening. "I doubt blood contracts work either, or if they even exist. But that requires papers and a witness, neither are good substitutes."

Snape stopped in his tracks, his eyes widened intensely. It wasn’t a look of frustration or anger, it was _worry._ His brow was creased and it was like he was analyzing me for the first time.

It was like he was looking at me for the first time.

I eyed my bag and returned the basilisk fang to its casing. I reached into my bag until my hand clamped on what I wanted and pulled out one of the books I had taken from the Room of Requirements in my second year of Hogwarts. A thick, musty brown tome that was thankfully not dusty thanks to cleaning and restoration spells. I grabbed it mostly because of the faded image of a bird on the cover, surrounded in even and symmetrical lines. It looked like a religious book, possibly a magicked Bible. But from what I could gleam from it's ancient pages, I need someone like Snape to translate it for me.

I placed the book with a heavy _thud_ on Snape’s desk, causing his wand to clatter and roll off his desk and onto the floor.

“I came across this book when I was exploring the school last year, along with a couple other books. I tried reading it and… well,” I flipped it open a page to reveal letters that I couldn’t identify in any book. “I think it’s written in a dead language.”

Snape stepped closer, but kept his distance when I began to tense up. 

“I used this translation charm that I found in one of Percy Weasley’s books, but I guess I’m still learning how to use charms right.” I flipped through the pages, eventually getting impatient and grabbing a chunk of the pages to turn until I was about halfway through and pointed at a drawn image of a man kneeling. “The only phrase I was able to translate was ‘Monastic Silence’ but isn’t that a prayer used in Judaism-?”

“Hand over the book, Mr. Potter.”

Yep, just going to hand over this book, no questions asked!

Snape flipped through the book and picked up his wand from the ground. My own wand stayed trained on the Potions Master while he was focused on muttering the translation charm every few pages or so. His eyes barely blinked and it was almost as if he'd forgotten about me.

Ten minutes passed, and he suddenly swerved the book around and placed his pointer finger on a translated page.

“Do you know what this book is, Mr. Potter?”

“Obviously not,” I said with a low growl. My curfew is about to pass and I have homework due tomorrow, for _this_ class to be precise!

“This book is the only copy of a cult of silent wizards… When Jerusalem was sieged over a millennia ago, the surviving members took it to Europe where it was passed from family to family. Sometime in the early 1600s, the book vanished.” Snape, once again, jabbed his finger onto the page. “This book holds both their history and the spells they used to ensure all members remained silent. This one… you will cast on me.”

I leaned forward, still keeping a cautious eye on Snape’s wand and looked at the spell. “‘Betray me not’? What the hell-? What kind of spell is this? Wait. How do you know about this book?”

“We were at war before you were born. How valuable do you believe a spell that could prevent a person from sharing secrets would have been to either side?” Snape didn’t offer me the chance to answer. “I had been searching for this book since… for a long time. Since you are so keen to keep me quiet, this is what we shall use. Cast it once, and when you are done speaking, cast it again.”

“But what are the consequences?” I asked, unsure about this. I’m about to cast a thousand-year-old spell that, apparently, Snape is willing to let me cast on him? “Why would you be willing to let me use this spell on you?”

“If you cast this spell, I will be unable to say or write your secrets to others. I will be unable to speak if my intentions are to share them unless you allow me to share this information then the spell will break. The only person I may speak about this information to, is with you.” Snape removed his hand from the desk. “As for why… There needs to be trust.”

I bit my lips and slowly nodded, my voice losing its strength. “Okay… okay.” Snape casted another spell and turned the words into its apparent Latin translation. Carefully rereading the instructions at least five times, I waved my wand at the height of Snape’s mouth and made a sharp flick from left to right. “ _Proditio potest._ ”

My wand glowed a dull yellow and Snape sat down in his seat.

“Satisfied?” Snape asked dully, making a “go on” motion with his hand.

I sat back down in my chair, my leg starting to bounce and I chewed on my lips, trying to figure out how to word this. No doubt I’ll just break into a full-blown rant. “What do you know about reincarnation, Professor?”

“Some believe it but there is no viable proof of its existence.” Snape’s eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. “You… are expecting me to believe…?”

“Yes, yes I am.” I did a quick once-over of the room, suddenly feeling somewhat paranoid even though no one was in the room. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not, Professor. It doesn’t matter because you asked for information and I’m giving it to you. I reincarnated from a different life, one that in that life, none of you are real. You’re fictional characters in a book, a children’s series. The series became so popular that it was turned into movies and I grew up on both. And guess what? The Sorting Hat figured it out right away and now every time I go to Dumbledore’s bloody office I have to deal with that thing talking to me! Do you know what it’s like? Being reborn as someone who you know is not only fictional, but you retained all of your knowledge from your past life so you know what the future holds?!”

I throw my arms into the air because who cares about caution now?! Snape is under a spell!

“From the minute I joined Hogwarts I’ve been trying to change things without people knowing. Harry Potter was supposed to be in Gryffindor, his friends are supposed to be Ron and Hermione, not Draco and Hermione! He’s supposed to like Quidditch, hate Potions, hate _you_ ! He’s supposed to be Dumbledore’s golden hero! People _die_ for him so he can stop Voldemort, kill Voldemort! He’s supposed to be stuck at the Dursleys until he’s 17, never ask the right questions, blindly run into every type of danger without a plan!

“Instead, you all got stuck with _me_. An American college student who was going to burn the Sorting Hat if it even dared suggest I’d be put in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, hates Quidditch, and because I know what happens each year I tend to recklessly run into danger with half a plan! How do I know things are staying the same? Because no matter how hard I try, the overall events haven’t changed! Quirrell still had Voldermort attached to the back of his head, Lockhart was obliterating famous wizards-”

“This explains… so much…”

“But no matter what, no one listens to me because ‘Oh Harry, you’re just a child, how could a _child_ know anything about keeping a _child_ safe. Don’t worry sweet _child_ let the _adults_ handle this situation- whoopsies, turns out you were right all along!’ Because I know how this could all possibly end, now I’m trying to prevent people from _dying_ while also keeping this a secret! I’m supposed to have the mind of an adult but I sometimes feel it going backwards. I feel like a child sometimes and it _scares me_ , Severus! One minute I have the next three weeks planned out and the next all I want to do is tease Draco on his choice of apple colors! To top it all off: In my past life I was a _girl_! I want to scream and cry and throw a room into turmoil because I'm stuck as Harry bloody Potter but I can't!”

I crashed my back into the chair, covering my face with my hands and tugging at my bangs with my fingers.

“I didn’t ask for this, you know? But I’ve been Harry Potter since the day I came out of my mum’s womb. I don’t know who to trust anymore because ever since the day I realized who I was… I’ve been scared that the minute people know who I am… they’ll turn to me as some kind of beacon of answers. What if I’m wrong? Or if, because of the changes I’ve already done, what I say ends up not happening or something worse happens? What if I save Cedric, but then I lose Luna? Would anything that happened after I made a change be my fault? I… save someone from dying, but because I kept them out of danger, someone takes their place?”

What if something happens just because I became a Slytherin?

“What if I become the enemy because I took a different path? I…” I pulled out my journal and quickly folded the pages about this year, about Peter, Lupin, and Sirius. “...wrote things down, just in case I started to forget. I didn’t go into much detail about little things like birthdays or homework problems unless they were vital hints for future events. But I haven’t forgotten much… probably because I think about it so often.”

I held out the journal to Snape and he didn't question my actions. With hesitation he took the book and began to flip through it, his face turning many shades of pale. He was only in the section about the first year of Hogwarts.

“There are millions of people like me who know about you, and many others, some know even more than me. I’ve rejected some information as truth because of the author's decisions when building her world. The hard part about trusting others is when you have millions of people who want to make their own realities. Harry is a girl, Dumbledore is evil, Voldemort is good,” Snape tensed at my words. “What if Lily Potter was sorted into Slytherin? All of these and more… have twisted my views. So I wrote down only what I could recall from the books. It wasn’t much… I hadn’t read the books in a couple years before my death.”

I buried my face in my hands and my eyes began to shed tears. “I love Lily and James… my mum and dad. I remember how mum would rock me to sleep and how dad tried to put me on this stupid broom for babies and I refused to because my feet would have gotten off the ground. I remember mum’s last words to me before I lost her forever. But… how can I even look at them as my parents knowing that I took away the son they should have had?” 

“Potter. Look at me.”

I lifted my head, heavy and slow, like it wanted me to curl into myself and hide.

“The fact that you answered to the name ‘Potter’ should tell you enough,” Snape started. “You did not take away their son, you are their son. Lily is your mother, James is your father. Perhaps, in another world, you were never their child, but here you are. Do not soil your parents' name by seeing yourself as some body snatcher when the child you think you should have been was never born in the first place.”

“But I-...” I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to ignore how chapped it felt. “Okay…”

“I believe you. I am choosing to believe every word you have told me. But I am also not going to let you fling yourself into danger every time something happens. No matter how old you think you are, you are now a _child_ and should live like a _child_." Each time he said the world "child" it was like hot knives driving into my very soul. Just being told I was to act my age... "But… based on what you’ve told me, you will end up doing dangerous things regardless of rules... so we will do this. I am going to teach you Occlumency, you should know what that is, correct?”

I nodded, not daring my mouth to say anything.

“I will teach you to clear your mind and block the eyes of others, you will learn spells of my own creation for protection only. I don’t want any secrets anymore. Understood?”

“Understood… So if… I’m supposed to be sharing secrets with you right now… Um… did you want me to tell you anything?”

“Who wins at the end of these books,” Snape said while closing my journal with a sharp _snap_. He stopped reading once he reached the folded pages. As soon as he returned it to me, I dropped it into my black hole of a bag.

“I do… Voldemort dies. I know where most of his Horcruxes are at this moment and what they are. That’s…” I reached up and fiddled with my necklace. “That’s why I wanted this, because in the final book, that Harry and his friends spend nearly an entire summer without a way to destroy them. You can only destroy it with either the killing curse, basilisk venom, or something imbued with it, or _Fiendfyre_. As long as it's destroyed beyond magical repair, it's dead.”

“So the Dark Lord will return…” Snape murmured, pressing on his left forearm. I glanced at his arm, then my heart started to race, a cold sweat threatening to roll down my body as a thought came to mind.

I only have one more year...

“Next year there will be the Triwizard Tournament… Professor, I need your help in making sure my name is not selected, or if my name is picked… please help me get out of the tournament!” I pleaded, clasping my hands together. I need to avoid the tournament. If my name isn't called, then Crouch Jr. cannot turn the Goblet of Fire into a portkey and Cedric can win, unharmed and alive. That's all I need to do that year... keep Cedric alive until the end.

His eyes shifted over my face, when his eyes widened in realization and he slowly nodded. “I will attempt to help however I can.”

My shoulders relaxed. “Great… that’s great.”

“Potter.”

Now what?

“During your… indulgent rant, you mentioned in your previous life you were female.” I nodded in response. Snape frowned again. “I trust you have become comfortable with your body?”

“Yes… it was… weird at first for obvious reasons, I mean learning how… everything worked was a bit of a steep learning curve. But if I was born as any other boy besides… well,” I motioned to my forehead then stood up and motioned to all of me. “I think I’d be happier with my body.”

“Obviously.”

I scratched the back of my neck, shifting from foot to foot. “There’s more information but… It’s getting kinda late and I have to finish that essay you assigned.” I stood up and recasted the spell, ending the conversation effectively. I can trust Snape... I have to trust him. Reincarnation is something I want to avoid telling others freely, but… this felt nice to share with someone else. 

“I will be keeping this book, Mr. Potter.” Snape stood up and collected the heavy tome.

“It’s not like I can read it anyway. Oh!” I reached into my bag and pulled out the third and final book I had taken from the Room of Requirements. Faded silver with a black cauldron on the cover of it. “Could you translate this book and tell me what it is?”

“We will have a little chat about where you are finding these,” Snape drawled then took the book, casting the translation charm and flipping through it. I leaned forward in interest as his face pinched up in what could only be described as a mixture of displeasure, and confusion. “It’s a recipe book.”

“For potions?” I asked.

“No… cooking.” Snape returned the book to me and I quickly opened it, trying to prop the heavy thing on my arm. Well… I’ll be blasted by a dragon’s fire, it’s a cookbook.

“Huh… goodnight Professor…” I muttered and walked out the office door -that opened as I walked towards it- and kept my nose glued to the pages as I walked. It was awkward because of its weight and mass, but it’s like _The Brothers Grimm_ of the cooking world! Hundreds of recipes from all over the world, maps of the land included and-

“Hold on…” I flipped around the Australian pages and its neighboring islands. “Half of these plants have got to be extinct by now.”

When the bloody hell was this book written?

I leaned against a wall of the dungeon to flip to Asia, a large section from all over the continent. Well, it has to be at least written by the early Ming Dynasty based on the sketch of the map but- “Merlin, how many of these animals are extinct?” 

I reread some of the recipes and suppressed a groan, there was both cooking and medical recipes in this book. The issue is that I’m pretty sure many of the animals and plants that are listed are either extinct, or nothing modern society would even consider consuming. So much for being useful, I’m better off just doing my own research.

I turned a corner and was just about to reach the Common Room when I stopped, curiosity taking over me. I opened the book and flipped to the continents that would eventually be labeled as the Americas.

And promptly closed the book and chucked it into my bag. 

“Too old, this book is _way_ too old.” It’s been a long day and I do not need to be reminded of how many animals I’ll never get to see unless my Animagus form decides to be mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy, a lot happened in this chapter don'tcha think? The second half of the chapter had gone through heavy rewriting and research to make it happen. If I recall correctly, I spent a good 3-4 hours researching and discussing with friends about how to figure out a way to create spell that would keep Snape's mouth shut. We came up with two conclusions:  
> 1\. Since Rowling never built up the magical history of the Wizarding World as a whole (meaning the WHOLE world) I decided to create something that would make sense to exist at some point in history. It would make sense if, at some point in history, some wizards and witches would look at certain religious practices, go "I want that" and make a spell for it.  
> 2\. As a double-agent, of course Snape would know about this particular cult and was searching for it. A spell that could render someone unable to spill secrets is something he could have used during the war.
> 
> Overall, I refuse to believe that there are only 2 spells in all of Harry Potter that are meant to keep secrets, one of them is a loopholed filled mess and the other has the risk of a third person knowing. There has GOT to be more than 70 spells that exist in the entire universe. So, sorry if this feels like plot armor at all, but it was the only logical thing I could come up with... that or Harry threatens Snape's life but I don't think anyone wants that.  
> I can say that I promise this is not going to be a reoccurring thing in future books. Harry's not just gonna go "I bet there's a spell in the Room of Requirements!" and go book hunting in the chaos-room. I had stated in book two that Harry took 3 books: one of them was Draco's Christmas gift, and the other two are the ones you all saw in this chapter. I had forgotten about it until my editor mentioned the books and I decided to use them in this chapter. Also, don't worry, I don't have any intention of having Snape just freely use spells that are in that book willy-nilly. He mostly took it because he realized how terrifying it would be to let Harry keep such a book.
> 
> Also, the spell literally translates to "Impossible betrayal" if google translate is to be trusted, "Betray me not" is how Snape's spell decided to translate it so it sounded more poetic. Spells man.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Animagus time!

I sat rather awkwardly in the unused classroom that Professor Burbage provided for the club. A simple, comfortable room with chairs that hold students interested in reading these books and a weighty box by my chair holding the books Burbage decided for us to start with. According to her, Dumbledore was quick to agree to allow a book club and has apparently been wanting an excuse to let magical students read muggle books for some time now… she also said _Dumbledore_ decided the first book.

I’m scared.

Because the books had to be ordered to the number of students interested, Burbage had a sign-up sheet for the club and only those that signed could be in the club at least for this first book. If more students became interested Dumbledore had agreed to fund more copies of future books and let the club grow. Well, it was only the first week of October and we had plenty of time to grow in numbers later on.

I looked around the room to do an internal roll call while looking at this meeting’s sign-in sheet. Luna, Blaise, Neville, Parvati, Lavender, Padma, Colin, and his brother, and-

“I’m surprised you were able to make it, Hermione!” I said with wide eyes, looking at the fidgety girl. Her skin was paler than normal and her leg was bouncing in her chair, but her eyes dared me to say anything about it so I didn’t push the subject. I let out a sigh, noticing that Draco and Pansy decided not to join. But considering their family’s historical viewpoints on muggles, I couldn’t blame them. There were actually fewer muggle-borns here than I predicted, most of the students here are either pureblood or at least half.

I cleared my throat, tugging slightly at my collar that seemed to want to tighten its grip on me. “Welcome to Muggle Book Club’s first-ever meeting. I uh… honestly have no idea how to start the meeting.”

“Why not start with why the club was made?” Lavender supplied helpfully. Bless her.

“That works! Sorry, I’m nervous,” I chuckled, about to reach behind my head for my ponytail but corrected my posture. I had to stop my eye from twitching when nearly half of the room shared knowing glances. Prats. “I wanted to create this club because there is no way we can survive the muggle world if the only things we know are magical concepts. Also, not to mention it’s harder to hide the wizarding world’s secrets if an entire generation of new adults enter the world and don’t even know how to buy a tram ticket, or do not know what a telephone is.”

“Telephones are amazing products that let you talk with another person immediately!” Colin said with his arm shot up in the air, making his brother hide his face in his hands. “They use wires and- Oh, sorry, Harry.”

“It’s fine, mate,” I said with a wave of my hand. “So, what I had in mind is we use the club meetings as a way to discuss our thoughts on the books we read, the social viewpoints of the time they were written, or just… you know, share what we thought were cool.”

“So will this be like homework?” Parvati asked with a frown. Padma had a matching expression.

“Merlin’s beard no! I’m not gonna force anyone to read these books and I’m _definitely_ not going to expect you to come in understanding what you just read. If you only have questions, then we try to answer them. I’m also not expecting everyone to be on the same page number, heck I’m thinking some of you will be done before we even meet up again.” Parvati's frown changed into a relieved smile. Yeah, the last thing I want to do is give myself more homework, why the bloody hell would I subject that to others?

I twisted my body and leaned over the box to start the annoying process of trying to open it. “It’s up to you guys what you want to do with the books when you’re finished. You can give them to Professor Burbage for her to use for other things, keep them, or pass them on to others.”

“I like that third idea,” Blaise said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back into his chair with a smirk. Students began a hushed whisper on if they would give up the book or not. Some of them were into the idea of sharing and were already coming up with ideas for who they would give the books to.

“As I was saying, it's your book so you can decide what to do with it.” I finally managed to rip off the tape with a sharp yank. “Professor Burbage said that she’s had some professors put protection charms on them, anti-thievery, anti-tear, anti-burning, just stuff to keep them safe from-”

Huh, _The Magician’s Nephew_ by C. S. Lewis.

“-bullies.”

I picked up one of the copies and Hermione gasped.

“I’ve been wanting to read that book forever!” Color flushed back onto Hermione’s face and she got up from her chair and quickly took a book from the box. “I heard that in America the order you read the books is different, they go by publishing order while we read it by the story. Oh, this is so exciting!”

Blaise also got up and took the copy from my hands. He scanned the title then flipped it over, raising an eyebrow at the summary. “I thought we were going to be reading muggle books?”

I snatched the book back. I touched this book so it’s _mine_ , “It is a muggle book, Blaise. Believe it or not, muggles know enough about magic to where they’ve made books based around them for centuries. Vampires, werewolves, witches and wizards, dragons and merfolk, you name it, we’ve made either a book, a muggle film, a play, or a comic based on it.”

“Comic-? Nevermind that, you’ll make us read one eventually. What the bloody hell is the point of keeping our world secret if muggles already know about it?!”

“Um…” Neville raised his hand like he was in class. “I thought it was because when they thought it was real, they tried to kill us?”

“But if they use magic and dragons in their books then doesn’t that mean they’ve accepted us?” Lavender asked with a tilt of her head.

Parvati shook her head, “Actually-”

I exchanged glances with Hermione and the Creevey brothers while the wizard-born/raised students discussed amongst themselves. Hermione pulled out her wand and with a flick, small bowls of popcorn with napkins appeared on our laps. I sat my book down on the desk behind me and calmly ate one popcorn at a time as our fellow clubmates, minus one Luna, spewed out theories.

“Maybe squibs wrote books a long time ago and it just went from there?” Padma said when she felt it was her turn to talk.

“I thought squibs followed the same laws as us?” Lavender asked, looking at me as if to confirm her words.

I shrugged.

“But how do muggles know enough about magic to make so many books about them?!” Blaise asked, running his hand through his near non-existing hair. “Harry, how many books are there that involve… all of this?” He made a wide, sweeping gesture to the room.

“Do you mean the number of individual stories or number of book series?” I asked, tossing popcorn into my mouth and giving Hermione one of the more buttery popcorns in my bowl. Blaise’s jaw went slack.

“This is… Gah, I’m going to read this book and figure it out!”

“I think this went well,” Luna commented dreamily, holding her hand out and -after cleaning my hands- I gave her a copy. Luna flipped the cover over, admiring the artwork that the publisher had picked and opened it to the right page. “I usually read books differently than others, but I would like to experience the book like everyone else.”

“If that’s what you wanna do, Luna,” I said with a soft laugh. “Maybe your dad would enjoy it after you’re done reading it?”

Luna looked at me thoughtfully. “My dad has been curious about what I’ve been doing in school. He gets lonely at home when he’s not researching for nargles. I’ll send him the book when I’m done… could I borrow Sansa?”

“I don’t see why not, she’s bored anyway and could use a job.” The last thing I want is for my owl to get fat from a lack of flying.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

Finally, a Halloween where I can _relax_!

I stretched my arms into the air, enjoying my morning knowing that I single-handedly prevented chaos to erupt in Hogwarts just by keeping Sirius close to me as Phantom. It felt good.

“Weather is going to be bad… Look at the clouds, Harry.” Draco complained, looking up at the Great Hall’s sky. I followed his eyes and my heart, which was soaring, crash-landed back onto Earth.

Dark clouds loomed over the sky that promised a storm, violently flying over the candles as if a warning that doom and destruction were heading our way. Of course, we live in a castle, so a storm meant little to our safety. At the Gryffindor table, Fred and George were bullying Wood into canceling their Quidditch training today with the promise of a thunderstorm. I looked at the windows to confirm that, yes, the sky was indeed as grey as the dungeon when Snape was in a bad mood.

I took a long sip of my tea, gripping the cup tighter as I heard thunder rolling in the far distance. Thunder… there’s thunder.

I glanced at the Gryffindor table and made eye contact with Hermione. We both gave subtle nods and I grabbed the scone I was about to eat and slathered it with honey for the go. 

“Harry?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow. “Where do you think you’re going? You didn’t finish your tea.”

“Hermione and I have an assignment for Muggle Studies we need to prepare and we wanted to compare notes. I’ll see you all later!” I got up before questions could be asked, waving at my friends goodbye and swiftly left the Great Hall. Hermione was hot on my heels and Phantom was trotting along with me, occasionally looking up at me.

“You couldn’t have done that to at least look less suspicious? At least finish your tea before you run off.” Hermione huffed, scrunching her nose as I proceeded to try and shove the entire scone into my mouth, “Slow down, would you? You’ll choke!”

I would have responded to that but the scone dried out my mouth almost immediately.

Hermione followed blindly as I led her up the stairs, each step echoed inside my head like the chanting of words that followed _Five… six…_ “Seven,” I said nervously. “Come on, we need to get to the room before lightning strikes.”

“Harry, where _are_ we going?” Hermione examined the hallway. We seldom go up this far in the castle except for Astronomy class, even then it’s in a completely different wing of the castle.

“A room never documented in any books about Hogwarts,” I answered confidently, reaching the ugly ballerina troll painting and began to pace. ‘ _I need the room Dobby prepared. I need the room Dobby prepared. I need the room Dobby prepared.'_

Hermione let out a squeak when doors materialized on the wall, large and intimidating with dark wood and brass ring handles. I pulled open the door, letting Hermione and Phantom inside, closing the door when I entered. The room was a chalky blue, a corner on the far end was some large sitting pillows, most likely for Hermione and Phantom. Looking up at the ceiling, I gawked.

“This room is awesome…” I whispered to myself, looking at the transparent roof, watching as rain pelted the surface into a thousand ripples which distorted the clouds. I snapped out of my stupor to give Hermione a cheeky grin. “This here, is the Room of Requirements. I found it last year and I guess you can use it to conjure any room you want within reason.”

Hermione nodded, looking around the room with interest. She noticed the pillows and went over to sit on one with a gasp as she sank into it. Phantom trotted over and laid down by her feet like a barrier between her and me, his head up and ears perked.

Thunder rolled again and I quickly located my box sitting in the middle of the room. I picked it up and cut open the tape with the sharp end of my necklace, examining the potion inside. It hadn’t turned red yet, meaning it hadn't been exposed to a lightning strike. Now it was just a waiting game.

“Hermione, when I transform, don’t tell me what I am.” Anxiety built in as the thunder was becoming more frequent, now it was at least two kilometers away. “I want to figure it out myself. And don’t approach right away. I read that Animagus sometimes lash out in panic after transforming.”

“Well, if you turn into a fish I’m not going to just sit here and let you suffocate,” Hermione reasoned. She tucked her legs under her when two fish tanks materialized next to her, one with coral and one with weeds, saltwater and fresh.

“Thanks for having confidence in me…” I looked up at the sky and just barely within view, lightning struck. The potion turned a deep shade of crimson. I pulled out my wand and pointed it to my chest and said “ _Amato Animo Animato Animagus…_ ” Then took the potion in a single swig while chucking my wand in Hermione’s direction.

The potion bottle slipped from my hand, shattering on the stone floor.

“Harry?”

I doubled over, clutching my chest and I collapsed onto the ground. I gasped as it felt like my bones were burning to the very marrow and my muscles melting into themselves. There was a beating sound in my ear, two beatings, neither in rhythm to the other but both collectively drumming in my head, my neck, my chest, my entire being. My throat tore at itself as a scream ripped past my lips. Bad idea, bad bad BAD _BADBADBADBAD-_

An image appeared in my head and I blacked out.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

When I came to, things felt… off. 

I didn't look at myself immediately, instead focusing on how _unhuman_ my body seemed to be. My shoulders felt flat as I laid on what I presumed to be my side, staring at a blank blue wall. I felt something by where my butt should be located twitch and my eyes widened. It took a moment to make it twitch a few more times for my brain to register what was happening.

Whatever I am, I have a tail.

I tried lifting my head, but it fell back down from the sheer weight of it. Like lifting a bowling ball that was three sizes above your strength level. I don't know how to move.

Soft clicking of nails came towards me and I am soon greeted by Phantom, who sniffed me and nudged this bulky thing called a head. He had a mixture of pride and disappointment on his face with his body language displaying a weird combination of tail wagging and sagging ears.

Phantom lets out a bark- _LOUD_ \- and footsteps slowly approached me.

“H-Harry?” Hermione’s voice, much softer than Phantom’s sonic boom, reaches my sensitive ears. I would look at her but I don’t know how to move my head yet. “Woah… I won’t say anything yet.”

I know I must have seen what I am in my head before I passed out but I don’t remember. I was too busy focusing on the fact that my body was acting like I just swallowed lava to care.

'Okay, okay... I'm gonna get up.' I thought to myself and began to stretch, hoping to get used to the muscles and bones. I felt my feet stretch out in a way that is not reptilian or amphibian, I could also rule out birds because my tail is way too twitchy for them.

I have paws. So I'm a mammal.

I don't feel cold, I have fur.

I'm bloody _heavy_.

That last part stuck with me. The reason I'm having trouble moving is because I don't know how to support my weight. I manage to roll on my stomach after forcing my butt to twist, making the rest of me twist as well. I still can’t lift my head, but this is a good first start.

I have to be a predatory animal. There aren't many herbivores that are massive with paws besides the panda and I am _definitely_ not a panda, my tail feels longer than that. That also rules out bears in general which is a shame because being a polar bear would have been awesome because then I could swim… and bite faces off.

I decided to look at my paws. It all clicked into place. 

I don't need to see anything else.

“Here, Harry, the room made this.” I heard Hermione say and she sets down a large mirror with a support base. Thankfully, she put it where I didn’t have to lift my head to see.

I focused my gaze and came face-to-face with a tiger.

I wanted to cheer, scream, and shout but I can’t move to save my life, so I let my tail twitch, letting me see the striped beauty in the reflection. So I took this moment to examine my face. Thick black stripes curved around my face like elaborate make up running from a rainy day. Rust orange fur that complimented nicely with snow white patches by my eyes snout, and jawline, fur fluffing out to the side as if giving me a mane. Opening my mouth to reveal long, sharp, light yellow fangs that curved perfectly to fit every single tooth. And my eyes...

Merlin, I am a _handsome_ kitty.

"I think we lost him," I heard Hermione say to Phantom.

The markings closest to my forehead were shaped like my scar, jagged lightning bolts that is mirrored on either side. I also kept my emerald green eyes, brighter than what a tiger usually has that seemed to permanently glow in this limited lighting. Well, now I know my characteristic markings should I register myself. I'll have to thank whatever deity blessed me with this form for not giving me my glasses as markings.

“Do you need help?” Hermione asked after noticing I haven’t moved since rolling over. Phantom nudged my head which stayed in place once he moved his nose away, jerk… “Here, let me help. You must be having trouble because your head got bigger.”

My tail twitched again as she giggled.

Two hands tucked under my bottom jaw and Hermione, with some effort, helped me lift my head. It took me a second to remember that I have a perfectly functioning neck and when she removed her hand I could keep my head up. I moved my head to her and let out a chuff, which Hermione yelped in surprise and fell backwards.

“Harry! Really?!” Hermione straightened how she was sitting and frowned. She slowly reached out and began to scratch behind my ear- why does this feel nice? “Your fur is soft… I didn’t expect you to turn into a tiger. I was actually expecting you to be a fox or some sort of bird considering how you like to sneak around your friends.”

‘Sorry not sorry,’ I thought to myself. Now I need to figure out how to stand up and walk, the sooner I learn how to use this body the better.

I stretched out my paws and began making the slow work to get on all fours. Phantom laid down in front of me, nudging the mirror away, and demonstrated how to stand up. While tricky because there is a _long_ distance between my head and my butt, I managed to stand up without getting shaky legs.

I really want to figure out how big I am. There are only a handful of species of tiger in the world and if I learn my weight then maybe I can narrow it down… I spent way too much time looking at big cat books when hiding in the library growing up.

The room let out a slight hum and just a few steps away, a large animal scale that looked like a thick sheet of metal with a dial for weight. It’s not the digital version I’ve seen zoos use, but electronics don’t work in Hogwarts anyway. Hermione glanced at the scale, then back at me with a raised eyebrow but gave a shrug and stepped out of my way. I let out another chuff in thanks then glanced down at my front paws.

‘Okay… one foot- paw in front of the other.’ I chant in my head as I put my left paw forward, then my right, left, right, left- Okay, why am I not getting any closer? And why is Hermione laughing?

I look behind me again to see two things. The first one is Phantom, staring me down with an amused glint in his eyes. The second one was my back legs had not moved once. I was effectively doing a cat stretch until I realized what was happening and my legs gave out immediately. Now I'm really doing a yoga pose. This… is going to be difficult.

“Harry, I know you’re not used to walking on all fours, but you should know that’s not how they walk,” Hermione said behind her hand as she giggled. She walked away from me patting her leg, “Phantom, come here!”

Phantom made a clear effort to walk in front of me as he made his way towards Hermione. He trotted around her a few times then went back to me, lifting his front paw with one of those soft half-barks that dogs make.

I mirrored his actions. When he set it down I did the same. Then, he lifted one of his hind legs and after a moment of me trying to reconfigure the entire movement structure of my lower… my back… my hind... I’m trying to figure out how to move my Thor forsaken legs!

There was no clock, but it must have taken at least ten minutes for us to figure out how I’m supposed to move with Hermione’s… _helpful_ instructions. 

“Harry you don’t have knees that bend like humans.” 

“Harry you’re leaving your hind legs behind again.”

“ _Harry_ , you need to remember where your tail is when you walk!”

Very helpful Hermione, let’s give _you_ an Animagus form and see how you like learning how to walk!

Once I could move my legs, now it was a matter of getting the walk right. Phantom was a dog and canines have a little skip in their step with each one clicking against the floor as he cannot retract his claws. I’m a cat, a lot of my movements are in the shoulders and I walk with my head lower to the ground.

He trots, I prowl. 

With that out of the way, I went to the scale and slowly stepped onto it, watching the scale’s dial. It measured weights in pounds with the highest number on the dial being 100, lucky me I still remember how to calculate in pounds. By the time I had my full weight on the scale, it had looped six times and landed the mid-80’s section. About 683-685 lbs…

Definitely a Siberian tiger.

… I wonder if this is related to how huge my ego tends to get?

Okay, now that I figured out my Animagus form and at least how to walk -learning how to jump can happen later- how the heck do I get back to normal? I read the notes I had written and began to follow its instructions.

‘Okay… relax your body, Harry. It’s like taking off a skin-tight suit! Easy now… just…’ I took a step forward and felt my body change back into a human form with no pain, no discomfort, nothing. I looked at my hands, my small, human hands, and felt my skin. A small sniff escaped me and I covered my mouth, my vision blurring slightly.

“I can turn into a tiger…” I pulled Hermione into a hug, burying my face into her shoulder as I choked on my words. “I-I did it! I’m an Animagus and it’s a tiger! A _Siberian tiger_ , Hermione, the world’s largest existing big cat! It-it’s not a bug or some tiny little rodent. I’m my favorite animal, Hermione!”

“Congratulations,” She said softly, patting my back. We pulled away and I could just see the glow of pure pride in her eyes. “While I’m still upset that you tried to hide this from us… Thank you for letting me be involved.”

“I’m sorry I did that. But hey, now that we know how the process goes maybe we could see what you-”

“I think not! You may be actively trying to break half a dozen rules and several laws but I’d rather not thank you very much!” Hermione huffed, completely removing her arms from my person.

Well, worth a shot.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**Side story #1 Lavender Brown**

“Um… Harry?”

“Hm?” I glanced up from my club’s book to find Lavender Brown standing in front of me. _The Magician’s Nephew_ was tucked close to her chest and her bookmark -purple with pink cherry blossom petals, cute- about a chapter behind me. I reached down and patted Phantom’s head to let him know things were all right, trying to ignore the early October winds hitting my back. “Yeah, Lavender? Is something wrong?”

“I’m a little confused about the book and the magic in it. Could you help me? I know we just had our first meeting a few days ago but I haven’t been able to put this book down and... now I’m lost.” She took a seat next to me, opening her book and pointing at a quote where Uncle Andrew was raving about the commercial possibilities of Narnia’s magic. “If this is a world full of magic, then why are his first thoughts about money?”

“I actually haven’t gotten that far yet,” I confessed, taking her book and examining the page for a moment. “Well, for one thing, this takes place in the very beginning of the 1900s, and to a muggle, money meant power and status at the time, especially if you could make more money.”

“I don’t get why no one believed him when he’s studying magic though. Magic is real after all.”

“Because muggles have two kinds of beliefs and magic doesn’t fall under either prospect.”

We discussed the character, his strengths and weaknesses and which at some point resulted in talking about Narnia itself, the magic, and the religious symbolism of-

“Lavender, I am going to stop you there, I am _not_ going to discuss religion with anyone.” I made an X shape with my arms and shook my head. “Hermione may be the person you should talk to if you have religious questions but I am the worst person to answer any of that.”

“Fine,” Lavender pouted, but let out a giggle. “Thanks, Harry. You’re pretty smart and… thank you for making this club, I feel like I’m going to read things I would have never dreamed of.”

“Anytime, hopefully when everyone gets more comfortable with reading muggle books we can do club voting on what everyone reads, otherwise I’m going to have to get creative on what we read!” I laughed with a slight shake in my voice. I am absolutely _clueless_ when it comes to 90s books, I don’t even know what was popular in the 90s and so far every book I’ve tried to read have had rather uninspiring covers and plots. Guess we’ll be sticking with the classics… the _good_ classics.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine!” Lavender reassured while patting my shoulder. She blinked a few times and stretched her neck to look over my shoulders. “Oh, Ron’s looking rather lost.”

“Pardon?” I follow her gaze. Ron was walking blindly down the halls. I say blindly because he has his divination book all but attached to his face, mumbling about tea leaves and crystal balls. “hold on a minute.”

I got up, put my book in my bag, and walked over to the Weasley. I tapped his shoulder which caused him to shout in surprise and I took a few steps back so I could catch his book.

“Ah! You scared me, Harry!” He took his book back, groaning. “I lost my page…”

“Sorry ‘bout that mate. Having trouble with Divination?”

That opened the floodgates.

“I don’t get it! How is _tea_ supposed to help me understand if it’s going to rain next week or not?! I drink tea and all I get are blobs, I don’t see any shapes at all! This bloody class is a nightmare!” He throws his hands up in frustration, thankfully keeping a grip on his book. “I should have taken something else.”

“Well, I uh…” I fiddled with my necklace, locking eyes with Lavender. I motioned my head towards the Weasley, making my eyes wide and pleading. She rolled her eyes and made a large swooping motion with her arm in a “bring him over” gesture and if I wasn’t for the fact she’s not in my circle of friends, I’d hug her. “I know someone who can help you!”

I grabbed Ron by his robe sleeve and pulled him over to Lavender. “Lavender is in your class, right?”

He frowned, pulling out a million files in the cabinet in his brain before nodding. “Yeah, she is, she sits with the other girls.”

Lavender patted the spot next to her on the half-wall, “Maybe I can help explain some things? Sit with me, I have the afternoon freed up.”

“You’re a live-saver! Hermione won’t explain things to me and- and this stuff doesn’t make any sense,” Ron plopped down next to Lavender and opened the book, flipping through several pages until he found the one he was reading previously. “I don’t get the whole tea thing.”

“You two have fun,” I said as I made a swift exit. I don’t believe in any of that Divination stuff, seers existing or not. Not to mention, I would rather not think about how my leftover tea leaves may mean I’m going to break an arm from a fall by tap-dancing on Snape’s potion’s cauldron.

… Tap dancing sounds fun, I like the shoes.

“Phantom my brain is saying weird things again,” I groaned, pulling the ribbon out of my hair just in time for a gust of wind to rush behind me and blow it all in my face.

A week later, I spotted Ron sitting with Lavender during dinner, both of them with cups of tea. When Ron took a sip of the tea, Lavender pulled out the Divination textbook and pointed at something in the book and then at the tea leaves. Not even 10 seconds later Percy’s pie slice suddenly exploded, covering him and all surrounding 6th year Gryffindors in blueberries and pie crust.

Fred and George high-fived and Ron was looking at Lavender in awe. Hermione was making a point to ignore everything around her and continued her Arthimacy homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprised? I had his Animagus form hinted in the very first chapter of this series. I always knew I would pick some form of feline to be Harry's Animagus form, as a serpent would be a bit too on the nose, I didn't want to do anything extinct, and there was no way in hell that I would willingly make Harry be some kind of deer. The tiger ended up being my pick because it's my Chinese zodiac and I've always had a strong love for them, my second pick would have been the clouded leopard. The fact I picked out the largest of the tiger species can have symbolism, but I mostly picked it cause I wanted skinny, tiny Harry to turn into 700lbs of pure muscle mass.  
> Did you guys know the internet doesn't seem to want to agree on how big they can get? Half of the sources say about 450lbs but the other half keep saying 700lbs (male species to be specific). I went with the heavier size because there is no way something that huge weighs the same as a Bengal tiger.
> 
> How the book club is going to work: I will not show every meeting, nor every book. I plan on occasionally mentioning books people have or if it related to the overall story, but nothing past that. This is mostly because unless it's a "classic" or Roald Dahl, I know almost nothing about books before the mid-to-late 90s and the 2000s onward. I also don't want to write about books I have never read, and The Magician's Nephew is something I had to research to talk about. But, now the kiddos are gonna read some good books!


	9. Chapter 9

Draco entered the Slytherin Common Room while I was relaxing in one of the many lounges with Phantom, one hand buried in his fur and the other holding _The Magician’s Nephew_. It was not a bad read even though most of the symbolism is flying over my head. I am enjoying the story for what it is… But I’m also sitting here wishing I was reading _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ instead so I’m at least familiar with the story. I looked up from the book and a snort escaped my nose.

“Bad day for Quidditch?” I smirked, looking Draco up and down. He was completely soaked to the bone, his hair clinging to his skin like wet paper and his robes made him look like a half-drowned ferret. Can't say it's an improvement.

“It’s been raining non-stop since Halloween! How the bloody hell do they expect any of us to play in this weather?! I was up to my ankles in mud just getting to the pitch!” Draco complained, grabbing the end of his robes and squeezing the fabric, pooling water at his soaked feet. I grabbed my wand in response. “Luckily it’s Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw this first match.”

“Oh goodie,” I said while returning to my book. Gingerly, I turned to the next page then slipped in my bookmark, which was just a torn piece of parchment. “I was going to skip the matches anyway, I’ve had _enough_ things trying to kill me to last a bloody lifetime.”

“No kidding, the next time I’m saving your arse it better not be during a Quidditch match,” Draco grumbled as the pool at his feet increased in volume as he lost water.

"... Do you want... I dunno... a drying spell?" I asked while balancing my wand on my left pointer finger. Draco lifted his head and looked at my wand with contempt, like it was going to bite him if I so much as go near him.

“...Wait for me.” Draco briskly walked towards the showers and away from me.

“I’m not going anywhere… Rude,” I mumbled, already getting absorbed in the pages. Then it occurred to me what Draco had just said. “And I don’t need my arse saving, Malfoy! Geez, you let yourself be called a damsel _once_ and everyone wants to treat you like you’re danger prone.”

Draco turned on his heel and pointed a finger at me. "I'm not the one that went after a basilisk a month later and got so drugged up on potions he spouted love confessions to everyone."

"Love you too, now go shower. You smell like wet brooms and grass. It's gross. Go back to smelling like apples."

Phantom snorted.

I had just finished the chapter when Draco grabbed my head and made me lean back as this was probably the only effective way to get my attention. His face was still flushed from the bathroom’s hot water but now his hair was perfectly fluffed out as it should be and a clean set of robes had replaced his Quidditch gear.

“Are you going to get a fever from being out in the cold?” I asked, putting the back of my hand against his cheek then his forehead, which made him let go of my head. Draco didn’t feel that warm against my hand, even though my hands tend to run on the cold side this time of year. It’s just so hard to tell if he’s going to get sick or not because of how bloody pale he is. I swear he just needs pink contacts and he’d pass on as albino!

“I’m fine! Come on, we don’t want to be late for DADA class,” Draco complained loudly. His eyebrow raised as he stared at my neck, reaching out and pulling at my ribbon lightly. “Why do you always wear the emerald ribbon? I swear I see you wear it every day.”

“I wore the periwinkle one yesterday, this one is my favorite,” I say, tightening the ribbon holding my hair in place. “It goes with my eyes.”

“You’re a Slytherin, your whole uniform goes with your eyes- okay, stop causing me to say weird things,” Draco said, walking out of the Common Room with Phantom and I following close. 

“You said it, you thought it,” I would throw my arm over his shoulders but the kid’s a head taller than me already and I don't want to pull my shoulder. Stupid Slytherin stringbean.

I had Phantom lay on the other side of the hallway, double-checking his collar to make sure it was fitted right and he had the identification tag. I find it a little stupid that Phantom has to wear the tag, yet the hundreds of cats I see around Hogwarts get to be collarless _and_ tagless; there are at least six ginger cats that have the exact same markings and don’t even get me started on the white cats. I only recognized Crookshanks because no one else has anything remotely similar to a Persian. In any case, by now everyone should know the big black dog is mine.

“Stupid arbitrary rules. Next year I’m bringing a pet snake, let’s see the professors try to put a collar on _that_ ,” I grumbled, giving Phantom a big ol’ smooch on his noggin and entered the classroom. “Hey, where’s Professor Lupin?”

“We don’t know, Harry,” Neville replied, eyeing the room nervously. “He hasn’t been seen in a few days…”

I sit down next to Draco, resting my cheek against my fist. He’s right though, he hasn’t been seen since Saturday-

Snape threw open the doors with a dramatic flair, using his wand to shut the blinds and summon a non-muggle projector, turning it on to a blank screen. He stormed to the front of the class, twirled around in all of his dark glory, and eyed the class evenly. His posture was more confident than usual and I jabbed a thumb into my textbook on- “Turn to page 394…”

Ah yes, I forgot, Saturday was a full moon. Also, he said the line!

“Where’s Professor Lupin?” Dean asked with his hand in the air. 

“Unfortunately, Professor Lupin has been ill over the weekend and has taken the day off to recover. I have taken the responsibility of teaching you today,” Snape waved his wand and Ron’s textbook flies to page 394, the page on werewolves and other involuntary shifters. I always found it weird that we learn about vampires in our first year, and then based on Molly and Narcissa’s curriculum, werewolves and shifters are third-year subjects. Muggle children are typically introduced to both at the same time thanks to the media.

“Werewolves?” Pansy questioned. “But Professor, we’re not supposed to learn about werewolves for another month. I thought we're supposed to be learning about kappas and other river beings this week. Right?”

“Give a kappa a cucumber or bow in greeting, they’ll impulsively respond back and have to flee because the water on their head will spill and they risk dying of drying out,” I said loudly to the class, not even bothering to remove my gaze from the book. I have come to learn that the majority of the rules regarding magical creatures are the same ones that exist in the muggle world. "Most river creatures you just need to get them in a situation where they could dry out, forcing them to either flee to the nearest body of water or die."

“A decent enough summary, Mr. Potter. Five points to Slytherin,” Snape said while turning on the magical projector’s slideshow. As images of ancient artifacts and diagrams slowly rotated on the projection screen, Snape walked down the rows of desks. “Who can tell us the difference, between an Animagus and a werewolf?”

Hermione and I shot up our hands.

Ron sputtered something about asking when she got here to Dean.

“That is not Potter and Granger.” Snape didn’t even _look_ to see who had their hands raised. Hermione and I exchanged disgruntled looks, simultaneously digging our elbows into Draco and Ron who were snickering. No one raised their hands, so Snape whirled around and pointed at Neville and Pansy. “Longbottom, Animagus. Parkinson, werewolves.”

“Um… uh…” Neville looked around the room as if the answer was on a poster in the class. “Isn’t… Professor McGonagall an Animagus? They uh… turn into animals whenever they want?”

“Werewolves are always wolf-like men that turn at the full moon, Harry went on a rant about them when he learned they were real,” Pansy said through a giggle.

“Those were… adequate answers, not as detailed as our class know-it-alls-” Hey! I don’t take offense to that, but still, hey! “- but they are the basics, five points to both houses.”

Snape’s been more interested in giving out points to other houses provided they answer questions right. I’ve noticed that lately.

“Animagus is a complex transfiguration process, you’ll be studying that subject with Professor McGonagall after Christmas. Werewolves, on the other hand, are straightforward.” Snape pointed his wand just as the projector changed to a diagram showing a man and werewolf anatomy. “It is known as a magical illness, given to one that is bitten by a werewolf or exposed to their blood or saliva during a full moon. Once bitten, the only escape is death.”

Well, this got depressing fast.

“You can not reason with one if encountered on a full moon, they hold no human thoughts or feelings. Whether you are their best friend, parent, or child they will attack…” Snape went still for a moment, eyeing the class carefully. “You avoid them for both your safety... and their sanity. When reverted back to their human form the following dawn they will remember everything they have done. That is _precisely_ why you are to learn spells that will help either disable them or give you the opportunity. Many who had not joined the dark side of the war would sooner wake up with broken bones than know they have committed murder.”

Draco leaned closer to me until our shoulders touched and whispered, “Lots of werewolves joined You-Know-Who’s side because of the Ministry’s laws. Doesn’t help their cases when you have dozens of them biting people.”

“Shush, Draco,” I hissed at him, trying to listen to Snape’s lesson. This was honestly fascinating watching this man struggle between the lines of informative and pure prejudice. The wizarding world is absolutely _terrified_ of werewolves, yet it took them centuries to develop the wolfsbane potion. Their registry, as far as I can tell, is shoddy at best. I mean, the wizarding world is so arrogant of their abilities to control the population that they failed to realize that Fenrir Greyback is still roaming around free-

Wait… _GREYBACK IS STILL ROAMING FREE?!_

My mind scanned my memories, pulling and tugging at information, trying to find _any_ information that hinted at the idea of Greyback being in Azkaban. But I found nothing… there was no information. In fact, I only vaguely remember him being mentioned in the fifth book and… Merlin, my memories of him in the film are fuzzy at best, did he even have a role there besides killing Lavender-?

I halted my thoughts and double-checked to confirm that Snape has not looked at me once during his lecture. Just to be safe I replayed Peter Quill dancing like a dunderhead for the next five minutes in my head, just to see if I can make Snape twitch.

“I want a full page essay on this desk turned in the next class on werewolves. Professor Lupin will be resuming teaching,” Snape finally concluded the lesson, flicking his wand and the windows open and the projector was put away. 

Some Gryffindors complained about Quidditch but Snape was not having any of it. I just packed up my stuff and walked out of the classroom with Draco. Phantom shot up from his spot and trotted after us, making the conscious effort to not be near by Blaise. 

“That was an odd lecture, think he was trying to tell us something, Harry?” Draco asked me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. Stupid Slytherin skyscraper and his tallness.

“Dunno, I kinda stopped paying attention halfway through the lecture,” I said with a nervous laugh.

“Again?” Draco groaned, waving the hand that was resting on my shoulder as our friends caught up. Hermione was rubbing her eyes, like something was straining her energy but tried to focus on being by my side. “What’s going on with you, Hermione?”

“Nothing, just a bit tired. I spent the whole night finishing _The Magician’s Nephew_ and-”

I threw Draco's arm off my shoulder. “Hermione, I’m barely halfway done with the book and you’re already finished?!”

Her cheeks turned several shades of pink as Blaise snickered next to Draco. Pansy wasn’t as amused, putting the back of her hand against Hermione’s cheeks and forehead to check her temperature. Hermione swats her hand away, reassuring the girl that she’s fine. Wow, Hermione and Draco are pretty similar in mannerisms.

“Harry? Can I talk to you privately?” Hermione asked me, tucking her hair behind her ear which sprang back to place. 

“Sure…?” I nudge Phantom over to Neville. The boy’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and patted his leg, causing the large dog to wag his tail excitedly. “I think Luna’s out of her class, Neville.”

“Oh, sure! Come on, Phantom!” Neville rushed off with Phantom following behind, looking positively amused by the situation. 

Hermione and I parted ways from the rest of our friends and took to a less frequently occupied hallway. I examined her face and despite the reddening of her cheeks, she was extremely pale, like she hasn’t had a proper night's rest in a while. “Is something wrong, Hermione?”

Hermione shifted from foot to foot and looked away from me, audibly swallowing.

“Did the book bother you?”

“No! It was wonderful and I was able to send a letter to my parents for clarification! No, it’s not that it’s…” She reached around her neck and pulled out the Time-Turner. A simple gold hourglass surrounded in three sets of rings that all rotated at different angles. “This is a Time-Turner, McGonagall gave it to me so I could attend all of my classes.”

“Well, that explains why Ron thinks he’s going mad,” I joked, dropping the smile when Hermione wasn’t laughing.

“The thing is… I _really_ want to be a part of your club, Harry. I really do. But with the amount of classwork I have, plus I have Ancient Runes the same time as the club I-... I don’t know what to do!” Hermione sniffed, her eyes glossing over and the white turning pink. “I-I _want_ t-to spend more time w-with everyone but… but I just don’t have time! And I can’t use this to go back in time so I could be in class and do everything I want to do, the side effects would be dangerous if I did! A-And I already broke one of the promises I had by using it to go to the first meeting!”

“Hermione? Honey? Breathe for me, please,” I cupped her face and breathed with her in hopes that she would begin to mimic me, which she does. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do.”

“But I don’t know what to do!” Hermione hiccuped.

I jerked my head back. Sometimes I forget that this girl’s entire brain shuts down when she’s stressed out. “So… you want me to tell you... what to do?” I spoke in a slow, careful voice. The worst thing I could do right now is tell her to calm down or any of that stupid stuff that never actually works when people panic.

“No! I mean, yes! I mean… I don’t _know_!” Hermione broke into a sob, forcing me to pull her into a hug as it seems that breathing would not help this situation at all.

I need an adult, pronto.

“Come on, we’re gonna go find Professor McGonagall,” I said, taking Hermione’s wrist and leading her to the Transfiguration classroom. Hermione tried to protest but she would break into sobs mid-sentence, earning us weird looks from older students and some younger ones too. At some point, my hand went from her wrist to actually holding her hand. Thankfully, McGonagall didn’t have class at this hour and was rather interested in why I was bringing in a sobbing Hermione.

“Well, I certainly hope there is a good explanation for this, Mr. Potter.” She gave me a stern look then focused on Hermione, her expression softening considerably. McGonagall waved her wand and summoned a tea set. “Have a seat, Mrs. Granger, and tell me what’s the matter.”

I left the room to give the ladies some privacy, sitting across from the door and reading my book. Hermione’s sobs grew louder for a time, then as time went on they settled down. I could never recall if Hermione actually felt pressured by the amount of homework she had this year in the book. I can't imagine doing twelve different homework assignments, especially with how ludicrous the scheduling system is. One class could meet up every day while some classes -like Potions- are lucky to even meet up twice a week. 

Honestly, the fact McGonagall doesn’t have a class right now is baffling to me.

Hermione stepped out of the room, rubbing her eyes and thanking McGonagall. I frowned when I didn’t spot the golden chain.

“How did it go?” I stood up, walking to her.

“I… I’m dropping Divination and Ancient Runes.” Hermione squared her shoulders. “So I turned in the Time-Turner.”

“But Ancient Runes is a good class! I would have thought you would have dropped Muggle Studies instead, you live with muggles after all.” I crossed my arms, tilting my head in a bird-like fashion.

“Well… You’re taking Muggle Studies this year. I’ll consider swapping next year if I find the class pointless.” Hermione’s eyes shifted to the sky, slowly nodding to herself then smiled at me. “Yes, that works rather nicely. I can stop giving Ron heart attacks every Divination class… Even if that was pretty fun.”

We hugged each other. I really don’t know what I do to deserve friends like her.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Do you want us to bring you any snacks, Harry darling?” Pansy asked, tightening her scarf in preparations for the early November snowfall. The weather this year has been awful. It rained for most of October and now Scotland has decided that it wanted snow. We were all outside, giving us dark-haired children the case of the melting dandruff while Draco looks like he’s getting bathed in powdered sugar.

“I could go for some sugar quills,” I said after thinking for a moment, reaching out instinctively to fix her scarf so it actually covered her neck and not an accessory. Looping it and then lightly pulling both ends through the hoop so it’s nice and puffed out. “Just make sure you guys have fun.”

“Of course!” Pansy threw her arms around me in a tight hug, which I quickly returned, patting her back. One thing I love about my friends is the fact we all hug, no exceptions; everyone gets a hug. “Come on boys, we need to give Professor Snape our permission slips!”

She ran off with Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle struggling to keep up with her.

Draco stood next to me, light bumping my arm with his elbow. “Going to sneak out using that invisibility cloak you never use?”

“In the snow?” I flinched when a snowflake somehow bypassed my bangs _and_ glasses to hit me in the eye. “Snape would see my footsteps before I even make it past the Dementors.”

“Fair enough, I’ll make sure Pansy doesn’t grab the cherry quills,” Draco chuckles, giving Phantom a few pats on the head and leaving to catch up with the others.

“Dunno if I’m gonna miss anything by not going to Hogsmeade or not, Phantom,” I knelt down, scratching around Phantom’s neck while he quietly panted because dogs need to do that for some reason. “What do you think, boy? Is it worth all the hype? Heh… Nah you can’t respond to me.”

I removed the lead from Phantom’s collar so he could run off to do his business. I don’t even know why I even bother to put a lead on him while at Hogwarts, he never leaves my side under normal circumstances and Morgana forbids me to try to leave him in the Common Room with Scabbers.

I sighed, kicking some snow away from my feet when I heard familiar snickering. I followed the noise to a pillar, walking around it to find the twins hovering over a large piece of parchment. They stopped laughing, both looking over their shoulders grinning at me.

“Mornin’ Harry,” Fred greeted.

“Wanna see something cool?” George asked.

I shrugged and crouched down to their level, my heart racing at the sight of the Marauders Map. It wasn’t just a big piece of parchment, it was _massive_ , enough to cover an entire table when fully unfolded. They were watching the third floor, where Filch’s name and footsteps are sporadically running back and forth the small part of the hallways.

“What did you two do?” I asked them with a raised eyebrow.

“Figured out the map huh, Harry?” George quipped with a massive grin. “New product we’re testing out, dyed fireworks.”

“They touch something and it dyes in a pattern like a firework. Hogwarts needs color in its halls besides old paintings.” Fred chuckled then tilted his head at me. “Not going to Hogsmeade?”

“I don’t have a permission slip, I was thinking of sneaking out with Phantom.” In all honesty, I really wasn’t. I was going to ask the kitchen if I could have some hot cocoa. But... if I play my cards right...

The twins exchanged glances then wore matching grins that reminded me of sharks, then looked at me. Fred handed me the map, “Here, we’ve memorized all of the secret passages already.”

I blinked, “Are you two sure about this? This could be useful you know for pranks.”

“What’s the fun in that if you know who’s going to get hit with the prank?” Fred reasoned with a careless shrug. “Plus, if we need it we’ll just nick it back from you. Now, let’s show you how this bad boy works.”

They explained how the map works, the fact it doesn’t show animals, what secret passageways are blocked or unusable. They also helped me figure out how to basically turn the map on and off. I had to hold back my urge to squeal the entire time. This was _the_ Marauder's Map, the map my dad and his friends used to sneak around Hogwarts, the map that I can use to make sure the halls were safe in future years.

And… the final piece of the puzzle to my plan.

Fred and George left and I waited for them to be well out of my sights before pulling out my wand and pointing it at the map. “I solemnly swear… that I’m up to no good.” 

The intricate lines of the map spread out like blood in veins, dark ink on tan parchment. I unfolded the massive bulk, carefully looking for my name until I spotted it in one of the many outside corridors where footsteps danced around the parchment.

“Phantom!” I called out for my dog, “Come here, boy!” I hid the map behind my back as Phantom came running to me, having lost me when I walked away from my spot. His displeasure was expressed when he pushed me to the ground, minding my oddly placed arm and licked my face, whining in discontent while I attached the lead to his collar. “Alright boy, we need to get Scabbers for something important!”

I pushed the dog off of me and when I was certain Phantom was secured, I moved my arm from behind my back. Phantom’s body went rigid, ears perked and tail frozen mid-wag. He started to back away from me, but couldn't get far because of the lead, and the distance was shortened when I wrapped the rope around my wrist several times. I looked down at the map, at the two names in the spot we now stand. Slowly, I unfolded the map until I found the Slytherin Common Room, where another name was found. The map is perfect.

“ _Mischief… managed_.” I said softly to the map and the ink is sucked away, leaving behind what would look like an unusually large folded parchment. I put the map away in my bag and gave Phantom’s lead a gentle tug, making the dog follow me. I couldn’t stop the grin on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahahaha, cliffhanger! 
> 
> So yeah, I got rid of the time-turner pretty quickly. There's just no point in it existing now that Buckbeak's life isn't on the line.
> 
> I do have a question for my readers that read these notes. That comment about bringing a snake to school is something I'd like you guys to think about. Would you guys mind if Harry gets a snake in a future book? I'm on the fence about it because I'm putting a lot of time and energy in Sansa and there is very high chance I will forget this snake exists. On one hand, having something he can speak Parseltongue to would be sorta neat, but on the other hand, again, I'm worried it'll just be a dead-end in terms of character development. It would not be a large species, nor would it be highly venomous; I already have a species in mind. Just wanted to get your guys' thoughts on it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry shows off his "pets" to Lupin.

Scabbers was sleeping when I came to collect his cage. The removal of his blanket immediately woke him up from what I could only assume was a good dream. His reactions were slowed from drowsiness, but he let out immediate protesting squeaks when he realized I was carrying his cage. “Oh stop it, I know it’s cold outside but we have some important things to get done today!” I chirped, having to give Phantom’s lead another gentle tug to keep him walking.

Phantom was keeping as much distance as he could from me, not enough to pull the lead but enough to where I didn’t feel his body heat next to my legs. Even though I could tell he was freaking out on the inside, I am legitimately surprised he hasn’t tried to run away. He’s over 70lbs of pure dog, he could just run right now and I would have a dislocated shoulder and my face would have planted the stone flooring. Instead, he followed with his head bowed and the occasional small whine escaping him, he looked like the dog version of a man being taken to his execution.

If I’m going to be frank, I think _Scabbers_ should be the one with that kind of look but I’m not helping much with my vague attitude. 

I heard my heartbeat in my ear like a festival drum only contesting with the prayer in my ear. This has to go just right, I can’t screw any of this up. If there is a god out there, please… please let this work. Let the rest of this year be stress-free with a wonderful teacher and no Dementors. If things refuse to change the next several years, at least give me this.

I reached the DADA room and pushed open the door, poking my head in to find the pleasantly empty classroom, save for the man I’ve been looking for. “Professor Lupin? Can I talk to you please? It's important”

Lupin jumped slightly in surprise, having been looking down at some essays when I had spoken. “Oh! Harry! Yes, come on in! I thought you’d be in Hogsmeade. I was just about to go there myself once I was done with this essay. I haven’t had a good pint of butterbeer in a while...”

I entered the room and watched as Lupin’s face morph into puzzlement at Phantom and Scabbers. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment, eyeing the two animals critically. I, on the other hand, let out a shaky laugh. “I actually don’t have permission to go to Hogsmeade… neither of my aunt or uncle would have let me even if I had asked.” I shrugged carelessly and sat Scabbers’ cage down on one of the front row desks. 

“Ah yes, Petunia. I received a lengthy letter from Molly Weasley explaining, in detail, about your home life, and then barely a day later there was another owl from Narcissa Malfoy. You have some fine women looking after you, Harry; they genuinely want to make sure you were safe in my class.” Lupin looked down at the essay, sighed, and then stood up to give me a warm smile and he lightly clapped his hands in anticipation. “Never mind any of that, what did you want to talk to me about?”

I pulled out the map and my wand, Lupin’s mouth twitched slightly and his shoulders tensed.

“I want you to look at this, sir… _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_.” I tapped the map with my wand and the entirety of Hogwarts leaked onto the parchment. Without warning, I grabbed onto Phantom’s collar in a feeble attempt to hold him still. “I want you to find the room we are in and tell me the names of everyone in this room… please.”

Lupin stayed still as he looked at me. His eyes shifted to Phantom, to Scabbers, and then to the map. It was like an entirely different person was before me as he strategically followed the courses of the maps until his eyes landed on a single point. His mouth moved but no sounds came out, but I could read his lips.

“Harry Potter… Remus Lupin… Si-... Pet-…” Lupin licked his lips and he rubbed his face with a heavy sniff, rereading the map again. He shook his head like a chill ran up his spine, then leaned in closer to the parchment, rereading the names a third time. 

“Two years ago, I traded a barn owl for Scabbers from Ron. He said that his family has had him for twelve years, can you believe that? I didn’t, which is why I wanted him and I wanted to see if he was anything special. Turns out… he’s not even a rat.” I unclasped Phantom’s collar and put it in my bag, trading it for my notebook. I shook out all of my letters from Sirius onto the desk then returned the notebook to my bag. “I’ve been trading letters with Sirius, a little ironic that after several failed attempts to write to him over the summer, I end up with an intelligent, loyal, protective dog.”

I slowly backed away from Phantom, pushing myself up onto a desk and crossed my left leg over my right.

Within a blink of an eye, the dog was replaced with a man. His filthy, ragged Azkaban prison garb clashed with his handsome, well-groomed head and healthy body. Even if Sirius was never able to take care of himself as a human, the six months of baths, proper meals, and many, _many_ hours of brushing as a dog translated wonderfully. His face was filled out, showing off the sharp cheekbones of a man who was definitely a lady-chaser in his youth, eyes clear and focusing on Lupin, and skin flushed with color and without gaunt.

I dug my right finger into my thigh to withhold the urge to jump up and hug my godfather.

The moment Sirius had turned back into a human Lupin already had his wand pointed at him. Lupin’s hand shook and he looked between Sirius, the rat, and then back at Sirius like he didn’t know who to point his wand at. Sirius was keeping his mouth shut, hands in the air and not taking his eyes off Lupin.

“Um… Professor Lupin?” I said with a raised hand, earning the attention of both men. “I think you should be pointing your wand at the rat, not at Sirius.”

“But-... Harry, how did you?” Lupin sputtered, his wand not changing direction. “You’ve been in contact with Sirius?! And Peter- explain, all of it!”

Whoo boy, how do I explain this without giving myself away?

“Well…" I started, giving Scabbers the side-eye and then focused on Lupin. I popped my neck and pulled my ponytail over my shoulder to play with the end of my hair. "I already said how I got my hands on the rat, he used to be Ron’s until I traded an owl for him. Sirius is um… Well, I remember a lot of things from when I was a baby.”

Lupin frowned, “That’s not possible.”

“Really? Because I remember that I said my first word because Sirius took away my animal book to make me look at deer and I got mad because I wanted to look at tigers. So I yelled out the word tiger, then Sirius made me say Bambi... and then dad tried to murder Sirius in retaliation.” Finally, Sirius made the first noise since he turned into a human and laughed. Lupin’s wand arm finally dropped, his jaw slack and he was staring at Scabbers with wide eyes filled with clarity.

“H-he’s right, Remus,” Sirius croaked, his voice being unused for months. He reached up and rubbed his throat, mouth twisting in discomfort. “And the map… it never lies… Peter Pettigrew betrayed our friends, James and Lily, sold them out to _Voldemort_ and tricked the whole wizarding world into having me being thrown into Azkaban for...”

Remus pinched the bridge of his and inhaled, “13 years… and I actually believed…” He looked up at Sirius, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry I doubted you, old friend…”

“We’ll have more time for talking when we’ve dealt with _him_ ,” Sirius hissed at the rat. Lupin began the process of unwinding the wire of the cage while Sirius made long strides towards me. He sat in a chair so he could cup my face and let him look at me. His left, callous thumb gently stroked my cheek and I leaned into the touch, resting my own hand over his. “You look so much like James… but you have Lily’s eyes. I missed thirteen years of your life, while you were raised by- Oh, Bambi... I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gone for revenge, I could have taken you in, I-”

I wrap my arms around Sirius’ neck and nestled my face in his shoulder, my breathing becoming shaky. This was it, the plan had worked. Sirius was here, not as a dog, or as a letter, but _here_ and I could hold him! My godfather was here and if the cards continue to be handed out right, he’ll be free. He'll be free to walk the streets as his own man, not as a fugitive hiding from the law, a prisoner in his own home.

Fudge and Dumbledore will pay a thousandfold over for this.

Sirius’ arms pulled me into a hug and I felt him kiss the side of my head. I let out a hiccup, trying to contain my tears. I lifted my head when Lupin suddenly yelped. “He bites.”

Sirius threw himself out of my arms, throwing spells with Lupin- wait, when did he grab my wand?! I watched as two fully-grown men struggled to hit a tiny rat with a spell, sighed, and went to one of the windows. I opened it and channeled my inner Disney Princess and loudly whistling. Sirius had sent the desk Draco and I usually sat at flying when I heard a familiar screech and Sansa swooped in the room. Now it was two fully-grown men trying to hit a rat with a spell while also avoiding a massive snowy owl who was looking for blood. 

Sansa dove with her talons out, snatching up Scabbers in her claws. She glided over Lupin’s desk, dropping the rat and then landing beside him, screeching over it and fluffing herself up to look bigger. Lupin finally managed to cast the spell that forces an Animagus to revert to their human form, resulting in a balding, mousy-looking man laying flat on his stomach on the desk, sending papers flying everywhere. My werewolf essay had better not been in that pile I swear to the almighty Yoda I will go Sith Lord on him.

Sansa’s mouth opened and heavy breathing was visually shown by her rapidly expanding and contracting chest. Her wings slowly opened and she shifted from foot to foot, analyzing the man with sharp clicks of her beak every time he made a sound. She blinked a few times and straightened herself. Sansa swerved her head to look at me with a half-lidded glare that translated, to me at least, that this was the most insulting moment of her life. How could I do this injustice to her? She totally told me so, and I owe her a fancy meal and months of kisses to make up for this offence.

“Sorry baby, I’ll ask if a house-elf can prepare you a rabbit later.” I reached behind my ear and gave my head a pressured scratch. Sansa seemed satisfied and, after letting out the loudest shriek possible into Pettigrew’s ears, perched on a window and tucked her head under her wing. Sirius and Lupin were giving me glances so I let out a small cough. “I uh… trained Sansa to be able to catch him whenever he is out of his cage…”

I returned to my sitting spot and Pettigrew slowly crawled off of the desk, sniveling and wringing his hands. He shuddered when he spotted me but slowly seemed to inch around the three of us.

“R-R-Remus! Sirius! My old friends!” Pettigrew stuttered through his greetings, only to get grabbed and pushed away from the doors by the very people he just greeted.

“You’re not going to get away from us that easily, Peter!” Sirius snarled, keeping a tight hold of Pettigrew, pointing my wand at his throat.

“You sold Lily and James Potter to Voldemort, didn’t you?! You were their Secret Keeper, you had one job and that was to _PROTECT THEM!_ ” Lupin shouted, voice shaking. He towered over Pettigrew, lips pulled back into a snarl that, for the briefest of moments, I had forgotten that werewolves need a full moon to transform... otherwise, I'm certain he would have gladly transformed then and there.

“I didn’t mean to,” Pettigrew said through a terrified whimper that caused me to raise my eyebrow. How do you accidentally reveal a Secret Keeper secret when torture and potions do nothing to make you spill? “The Dark Lord, h-he has powers you wouldn’t believe!”

“I killed him by giving him a hug, killed his snake using a sword, stabbed his 16-year-old soul with a fang from his snake and I now wear one of the fangs as a trophy around my neck,” I say while dangling the venom-filled fang. “You’re just a coward, no wonder your Animagus is a scrawny rodent. An insult to rats.”

Pettigrew shrunk behind his former friends. “Y-you! You’ve known all this time! Y-You look so much like your father, like James, but you’re a full-blown snake at heart!” I’m pretty sure that was the wrong thing to say around Sirius.

“How _dare_ you speak to Harry! How _dare_ you talk about James in front of him and insult him!” Sirius roared out, grabbing Pettigrew by the collar, my wand nearly jabbed into the man's esophagus if Sirius tried hard enough. Merlin this is entertaining.

“P-please! You must listen! The boy-” Peter pointed a shaky finger at me. “H-he knew who I was!”

“Well, of course, he does, the map can see through Animagus transformations!” Lupin reasoned with a sharp nod of his head at the map. “Animals won’t show up on the map but people will, he was bound to figure out!”

Huh, now that I thought about it, did Fred and George never look at the Marauder's map whenever I was in the Slytherin Common Room? Sure, I never carried Scabbers anywhere but I'm sure they would have at least mentioned it to Draco or Blaise that a man's name always showed up next to mine at night time. The map _does_ have the Slytherin Common Room... huh... must have never looked because they couldn't enter even if they tried.

“Harry, don’t listen to a word he says,” Sirius said, glaring at his friend while acting as a physical barrier between me and Pettigrew. Neither Sirius nor Lupin saw the grin I had saved just for Pettigrew. Sharp and pulled back to the point of pain, revealing all of my straight, pearly white teeth and pulling my eyes to their widest point. This was going rather swimmingly and being called a snake? It was such a touching thing to say to me! I wonder if Pettigrew understood charades?

With only Pettigrew paying attention to me, Lupin and Sirius speaking amongst themselves on what to do with him, I pointed at myself. I pointed at myself, then held out my left palm and made my right pointer and middle finger walk across my palm, like a person going somewhere. My right hand then held up two fingers, smoothly transitioning so my pointer slid across my throat, my neck sharply twisting to the left. Finally, never once removing my painful smile, elegantly pointed at Pettigrew. His face turned ashy, and his fidgeting increased, almost seizure-like in motion. Ah yes... he got the message.

_"I'm going to kill you."_

Pettigrew's breath became frantic, unsteady. He clutched at Sirius's shirt with shaking hands. “ _No!_ He’s known since the moment he saw me! Bought my old owner an owl so he could get his hands on me,” Pettigrew said in fear, looking at me like someone would a Dementor. “H-He knows things he shouldn’t! You have to believe me, he’s not some ignorant child! He plans on killing me!”

I resumed a neutral expression just in time for Sirius and Lupin to look at me. They moved too fast for me to pull any other expression, I just had to remain apathetic long enough to get Pettigrew to shut up. “I have no idea what on Earth you’re talking about.” I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my body partly away from the trio. “I was curious about your age and when I realized you were going to be a troublemaker I trained my owl to catch you. Barn owls are not cheap, you know. I only figured out who you were because of the map.”

“Y-You lie! You called me by my name the morning you got me!” Pettigrew yelled, looking at Lupin and Sirius with desperate eyes. He tried reaching out to Lupin, but the professor pulled back. “You have to believe me, he’s more aware of the world than he lets on!”

I think he’s had enough time talking. “Professor, if we take him to the Ministry do you think they’ll clear Sirius’ name?”

“They’ll have to,” Lupin’s eyes cleared up and he elbowed Sirius away from Pettigrew. Sick of hearing Pettigrew's begging for ears that will never hear him, Lupin casts a spell that forces his former friend to turn into a rat. Before Pettigrew could bite Lupin, he threw the rat into the cage and locked it back up with the wire. “Peter being alive is proof enough that Sirius is innocent…”

Lupin turned to the two of us, as Sirius had not moved. “I will take Peter to the Ministry.” When I opened my mouth to protest, Lupin held up a hand. “You are not supposed to leave Hogwarts unless you were too injured for Pomfrey to heal or if your family has a life-threatening medical emergency. Sirius is still wanted, and him being an unregistered Animagus-”

Sirius flashed a shaky, unapologetic grin.

“- Would land him in Azkaban _again_ , for that.” Tell me something I didn’t spend an unreasonable amount of hours thinking about, Lupin. 

“Fine,” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest and flipping my bangs out of my face, I need to trim them. “Ask for Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy and bring Sansa with you. They’ll know you’re there because of me.”

“Lucius Malfoy?” Sirius rasped. “He used to work for Voldemort, but he weaseled his way out of prison. You would really trust a man with that sort of history?”

I shrugged, “Even if that’s the case, his wife is attached to me and I’m best friends with his son.” Sirius nodded, having spent these last few months witnessing us interact with each other. “He’ll help if only because I’m sure his wife would kill him if he didn’t.”

He hesitated, biting his lips in thought. After a moment, he nodded. “I suppose you are right. Alright, Harry, I’ll trust your judgement on this.”

Lupin put on his coat and grabbed the cage. “Sirius, we’ll… catch up later.” Double-checking his wand was still with him, Lupin retreated to his office to use the Floo network. 

I switch my attention to Sirius. The room was still as Sirius remained still, looking at me like someone looked at an animal about to bolt away. He backed up, pulling out a chair and just… collapsed onto it with a heavy sigh. He propped his elbow onto the desk and rested his cheek against his fist, his shoulders relaxing. His eyes started to shut, like he had no energy left to do much besides sitting there and breathing.

“Um…” Shoot, I’ve spent so much time focusing on getting Sirius’ name clear, it never occurred to me that I would have to think of something to say! “I… hope I wasn’t a bad owner…?”

What… the hell… Harry?

Sirius’ eyes sparkled with a sudden arrival of new energy and he let out a barking laugh, throwing his head back. “N-no, no, Harry. You did fantastic taking care of a dog.” He shook his head, slowly looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. “Merlin, that is the first thing the kid says to me… He really is James’ son.” Lowering his head to a more comfortable position. “Did you know it was me?”

“I… had a hunch because I remember what you looked like when I was a baby. But I was worried you would be discovered if I had said anything, so I tried to just keep my mouth shut on the subject.”

“Heh… All this time you knew… and you became an Animagus too. You’ve inherited your mother’s brains that’s for certain.” Sirius pushed himself back onto his feet, wincing at the pressure. With heavy steps, Sirius walked towards me and reached a hand out towards my head, hesitating. His hand remained frozen, mere inches from my head and his eyes darted, scanning my face. “Is it okay if I…?”

“Blanket consent, Sirius,” I say with a smirk, putting my hand on top of his own and lightly pressing down until his hand laid flat on my head. Sirius, almost ghostly, ran his fingers through my hair, plucking some of my bangs and feeling the silkiness of the strands.

“Blanket…?” His brows furrowed and his mouth twisted into a confused frown.

“It means you don’t need to ask for my permission,” I explained, leaning into the touch until his hand was back on my head. This was too good to be true, it had to be. And yet... it was true. Sirius was so close to freedom I could smell it, even see it off in the near horizon. 

Eventually, Sirius had to remove his hand. “I have to turn back into ‘Phantom’. We have a lot to talk about when time is no longer a constraint…” He ruffled my hair. “I will admit, you’ve made me see Slytherins in somewhat of a different light.”

“Because I am one, Sirius,” I chuckled and when I blinked, Sirius had turned back into Phantom. Sliding off the table, I reached into my pouch and clipped his collar back on, making sure it was tight enough to stay on, but loose enough to where I could fit three fingers through. Phantom’s tail beat the floor relentlessly while I made sure everything in the classroom was back in its place, which included moving the desks and chairs that were thrown around minutes prior.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to wait for the good news then, hm?” Humming a happy tune, Phantom and I walked out of the classroom to wait for everyone to return from Hogsmeade.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

"Harry darling," Pansy started when the group returned from their day trip. In her arms were bags full of sweets and other goodies for us to enjoy throughout the week. She handed me a strawberry flavored sugar quill followed by the bag that was designated to be my treat bag. "Why didn't you tell me you hated cherry?"

"Huh?" I responded intelligently, already enjoying the delicious treat that seemed to explode on my tongue with rich, natural flavors and not a single hint of artificial chemicals. We walked inside, slowly making our way to the Common Room so we weren't in the snow. "I thought it was obvious? I always give you the cherry flavor."

"Told you, Pans," Draco commented, eating his own sugar quill that was noticeably very green. We all winced when he took a bite out of it, sounding like he just bit into glass. "He hates cherry and grape flavored sweets. Ironic because you're the one that eats all of the cherries at breakfast, Harry."

"Hush Apple Boy, I've seen you fill your pockets." I smirked when Draco stopped walking.

"Why are you obsessed with the fact I eat green apples?!" Draco bit back, face pulled into a sneer. "You're always laughing whenever you catch me eating one."

"You do grab the green ones exclusively, mate," Blaise commented back. He reached out and gave me a gentle shove so I kept on walking, nearly making me trip but Draco caught me. "I've never been able to eat one since the year started. I'm getting really tired of the dark red ones... If only you would just share..."

"The green ones have the best taste to them," Draco muttered, pouting through his quill.

"Heh... Drapple." I quietly muttered to myself, I had to give Phantom's lead another tug as the poor creature was shaking from head to tail. He lifted his head up, giving me a "really?" face then quickly ducked his head to give a small bark that sounded suspiciously like a laugh that slipped.

"What was that, Harry darling?"

"Nothing, Pansy. Thank you for the quills." I'll be keeping that little bit to myself for the time being.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

The next morning, I sprang out of bed and rushed to our shared bathroom to do up my hair and get ready for the day. I was even up before _Draco_ of all people, and he woke up over an hour before anyone else just to make himself look pretty for the day. I fixed up my hair, brushing my hair back and tying it tightly with the emerald green ribbon. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Draco was making the agonizingly slow process of turning his body into a sitting position, bedhead in each and every direction.

Draco yawned, stretching his arms out then rubbed his eyes. When his eyes gained clarity, he stopped moving. “Harry… what is wrong with your…?”

“My what?” I asked, twisting my waist to examine my body. Did my robes have a tear?

Draco rubbed his eyes again then blinked. He lifted his hand, pointing at the crown of his head. “You’re wearing your ponytail…”

“Oh, this?” I reach up and lift one of the loops of the ribbon. “It’s just for today, I want to get in touch with my… you know, feminine side,” I say jokingly, I’ve been dying to try my hair up like this but I think I won’t put my hair up this often, it feels like my entire scalp is tugging back into one point. I _definitely_ do not remember ponytails feeling like this.

Draco blinked a few more times, his entire body violently shook like a chill ran up his spine. “Whatever makes you comfortable, Harry.”

He shuffled past me, slamming the bathroom door shut which startled Blaise awake with a mumble. I rolled my eyes and sat back on my bed to get some extra cuddle time with Phantom, who did little more than grunt and kept his eyes shut. What an old man.

“Where’s your rat, mate?” Blaise asked, running his hand through his insultingly short hair and was pretty much all set for the day. I glanced at my bedside table, which usually held Scabbers’ cage but was empty.

“Dunno, a house-elf might have taken him overnight to check up on him. I had noticed he wasn’t eating last week and wanted him checked.” The lie came out smoothly, he truly was not eating as much as he normally did so it helped cover up suspicions.

Once the three of us were all prepared and Phantom was done acting like a tired old man and got his butt out of the blankets, we made our way out of the Common Room. Phantom laid in his usual spot outside of the Great Hall where a house-elf would soon be giving him breakfast and we headed inside the hall. As we sat in our usual patch of the table, I turned my head in the direction of the teacher’s table. Lupin was pale, drinking from a large cup and seemed one step away from having a full-blown panic attack.

Huh… weird sight.

Lupin spotted me and began to stand, but when he got on his feet, the usual dozens of owls swooped in with their letters, packages, and Daily Prophets.

I took a long sip of my tea when, in a rare occurrence, Sansa landed in front of me. If Sirius avoiding her letters insulted her, and Scabbers turning into Peter Pettigrew enraged her to the point of bloodlust, she looked like she was one bad pat away from ripping off someone’s _f_ _ace_. She didn’t even bother letting me greet her or grab the letter attached to her legs; Sansa bent down and _ripped_ the letter off her legs, chucked it at my face, then began to help herself to my eggs.

Pansy leaned backwards so she could talk to me from around Draco, who was trying to get his letter from Ulysses, who was trying to comfort and preen Sansa, who _really_ wanted nothing to do with anyone this morning. When Ulysses reached over to preen her neck, Sansa swiveled her neck and tried to snap at his beak. The larger owl, clearly intimidated, back off.

“Harry darling, what’s gotten your owl so upset this morning?”

“If I knew, do you think I’d just be sitting here?”

It was almost comical if the room hadn’t become quiet and I started to get deja vu.

“Okay, you know what? Before I ask stupid questions, Blaise, gimme the paper.” I make the gimme motion with my hands and Blaise handed the _Daily Prophet_ over without hesitation. Knowing than to try and work around the papers, I just kept to the front page.

**PETER PETTIGREW LIVES, SIRIUS BLACK REINVESTIGATED**

_On November 6th, 1993 at 1:42 PM, Hogwarts Professor Remus Lupin came to the Ministry of Magic with a caged rat and the owl of Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. Professor Lupin requested to speak to Minister Fudge with Lucius Malfoy and Arther Weasley as witnesses, claiming he has evidence regarding Black. According to those at the scene, Professor Lupin made the claim that the rat he possessed was Peter Pettigrew, having spent the last thirteen years in hiding as an illegal, unregistered Animagus._

_“At first I didn’t believe [his] bold claims.” Fudge had told the Daily Prophet when asked to make a statement. “Pettigrew had died at the hands of Sirius Black. But with both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley’s insisting on hearing Mr. Lupin out… I had no choice but to listen.”_

_Professor Lupin had reportedly released the rat and cast a spell which forced the Animagus transformation to reverse. Pettigrew was identified by the missing right index finger and with the use of old photographs before the infamous Potter murder. However, through the chaos and panic, Pettigrew succeeded in stealing the wand of an Auror and escaping the Ministry as a rat. Minister Fudge is organizing a full-scale hunt for Pettigrew and has stated that he will work with Dumbledore to remove the Dementors of Azkaban from Hogwarts._

_With this new information given to the Ministry of Magic, Sirius Black’s case has been reopened for investigation, led by Kingsley Shacklebolt. Sirius Black, having spent twelve years in Azkaban, is reportedly still wanted by the Ministry._

_“We want to bring Black in to further the investigation, not for imprisonment. With the revelation that Pettigrew is alive, we believe that Black may be innocent of all past charges.” Minister Fudge had stated. “However, due to his time in Azkaban, he may still be an unstable and dangerous individual to both himself and others.”_

_Minister Fudge and the authorities advise the public to avoid seeking out Black, and if encountered, should alert the Aurors first. Black’s whereabouts are still unknown, last spotted in June of this year in London. Furthermore-_

I gave the paper back to Blaise, letting out a low, shaky breath. Of _course_ , Pettigrew escaped. I should have known better than to let a bunch of adults watch over him. How did he escape when Sansa was in the room? Bloody hell, this is a mess… but Sirius’ name is being cleared.

I ripped open the letter Sansa had so eagerly thrown at my face and read over it. Oh, it’s just a formal statement from the Ministry of Magic about Sirius. Boring, no wonder Sansa was so miffed. I feel insulted just reading it, they even toned down the legal vocabulary.

“Mother is furious,” Draco finally said, his mouth sounding dry. He took a heavy gulp of water then continued. “She said that her and the Weasley’s mum are shifting their focus on getting Sirius’ name cleared and if he can be a possible guardian for you if he wants.”

“Huh, they work fast,” I say, taking a sip of my now lukewarm tea. “Nothing can be done until Sirius Black is found though.”

“Please,” Draco started with an overly dramatic eye roll then handed me a scone. I happily took it and began to slather it with an unhealthy amount of honey. “Just stand outside for an hour and loudly declare your name to the sky. Merlin forbid it, but with your luck, he’ll turn up that way.”

“If you weren’t right, I would feel insulted.” I jabbed my elbow into his ribs which he returned the favor. Sansa flew off with Ulysses, having had her share of egg and bacon. I looked over at Lupin, who stared at me with large eyes, and a slumped posture, looking whole-heartedly apologetic.

I gave him a smile and a wink, returning my attention to my friends. All that’s left is to give the Auror’s the opportunity to find Sirius and my godfather’s name would be cleared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Scabbers got away. I was on the fence about this, but I can promise that he is more than likely not going to survive to Harry's 5th year.
> 
> Next chapter is actually an experimental chapter in terms of how I write things. It'll play out the events that lead to Scabbers escape at the Ministry, so if you guys are confused as to how he got away, it'll be explained in the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Pettigrew escaped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer in the bottom notes about Peter Pettigrew. Feel free to read after the chapter.

**3rd Person**

Lupin stood in front of his office’s fireplace, looked down at Peter, and sighed. Outside, in the classroom, he could hear Sirius letting out a laugh, a sound he hasn’t heard in so long, even before James’ and Lily’s death. The Potters were like the glue that kept them all together and once Dumbledore hid them, suspicions aroused between Lupin and Sirius. Gah, if only he had-

No, no no. It won’t bring James and Lily back by regretting the past. What was important was to clear Sirius’ name and put Peter in prison once and for all.

Lupin reached for floo powder when he heard a tap on his window. Turning his head, he sees Sansa patiently waiting to be allowed in. When Lupin opened the window, he had to readjust the sudden weight on his shoulder when the large snowy took it as her perch. He audibly swallowed, eyeing the bird nervously. Just mere minutes ago she was ready to rip off Peter’s face and anyone that dared touched her. Sansa picked at her feathers for a moment then reached out, using her beak to lightly nibble at his ear- Lupin vaguely remembers Harry referring to this as “preening”.

He never owned an owl, he always just used the school’s owls or borrowed one from his friends back during his teen years.

Carefully to not jostle the heavy bird, Lupin gathered some floo powder and stepped into his fireplace. “Ministry of Magic!”

The green flames came and went, and Lupin stepped out of the many black-bricked fireplaces of the Ministry. As expected, no one so much as glanced at him. Everyone was busy with their own work and no one had the time to bother paying attention to a man with a miffed, soot-covered owl and a panicking rat. If anyone _did_ pay any attention, they would have thought he was just part of the animal care department. 

Lupin's shoulders slumped, causing him to wince as Sansa’s talons stubbornly dug into him to maintain her own balance. He came here to… to do _what_? Undo the spell on Peter and let him run around to reveal that he’s alive?

How would he even go about talking to the Minister?

“Well then, let’s go find Lucius or Arthur then-” Lupin leaned his head away and scrunched his posture as Sansa spread out her wings, relentlessly beating them in the air and partially his head and she took off. Something deep within the pits of Lupin’s gut told him that if he didn’t follow her, she was going to find _him_ in a worse mood than before. “She really is Harry’s bird.”

Lupin double-checked to make sure Peter’s cage and he was still there.

Squaring his shoulders, Lupin pushed through the bundles of people going about their business. He was going in the direction Sansa had flown off, but she must have landed because he could not see her at all. He could hear her, but seeing her was another matter.

“Sansa? Why are you here- where’s Harry-? Why are you screeching so much? Where is your master?”

Lupin breathed a sigh of relief when he broke through the crowd and found Lucius. The Malfoy looked rather disgruntled as he let Sansa perch on his forearm. She wasn’t flapping her wings or showing any signs of aggression besides screeching for every exhale. It was almost like looking at Harry in bird form, he makes the exact same face in class whenever a classmate asked questions the boy deemed "stupid". 

“Lucius Malfoy?” Lupin called out with a slight pant. He finally caught up with them, trying to steady his breathing and calm his rapidly beating heart, not used to being crowded like that. It had taken him all of Autumn to acclimate to a school environment, where students were getting in his personal space every day. This was a whole new level of crowded, at least at Hogwarts he could retreat to his office. 

“Yes?” Lucius answered with a blank tone, lifting his chin up ever-so-slightly and Lupin didn’t miss how Lucius looked him up and down. This really was Draco's father, huh? The boy gives people the _exact_ same look to non-associates when Harry wasn’t around to make him mind his face. “Who might you be?”

Lupin extended his hand in greetings. “Remus Lupin. I’m the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.”

It was like someone casted a personality changing charm.

Lucius’ eyes brightened up considerably, his chin lowered to match Lupin’s, and he stuck his owl-free hand out to shake Lupin’s. “Ah, yes. My wife had informed me that you were going to be the new professor. I-” He stopped, eyes lowering until he was looking at Lupin’s right hand. “Curious… isn’t that Harry’s rat?”

'Curious,' Lupin thought with a raised eyebrow. 'Lucius Malfoy has memorized what animals Harry keeps as pets?'

“I- well yes, actually this _rat_ here is why I’m here. I have information about Sirius Black,” Lupin said with confidence. “I need to speak with Minister Fudge about it and…” The confidence slowly drained from him as he began to realize how utterly stupid he sounded. “Harry told me I need you and Arthur Weasley.”

Lucius raised a blond eyebrow, cautiously glancing at the still screeching owl on his arm then back at Lupin. “Conveniently, I was going to Cornelius myself. It was a matter of luck you brought Harry’s owl along.”

Lupin watched how, with a swirl of his hair, Lucius went to a nearby communal writing desk, taking some parchment and a quill and quickly wrote something down. The Malfoy tied the note to Sansa’s leg, “Go to Arthur, he’s in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.”

Sansa seemed to instantly calm down and she took off from Lucius’ arm, Lupin noting that she seemingly needed fewer wing flaps to take off.

Lucius smirked, both hands resting confidently on his cane. He inclined his head towards Lupin. “Don’t take offence to her attitude. Something’s obviously bothering her and she takes after her owner.”

“I think I understand what’s wrong,” Lupin grumbled, taking another glance at Peter who was trying to hide under the bedding, as if that would protect him from the inevitable. He followed Lucius through the Ministry, silently wondering what exactly Lucius did for a living. He’s always heard about how the Malfoy spends plenty of time at the Ministry and is seen attending events with Fudge, but a Malfoy actually _working_ is somewhat of a head-scratcher even for Lupin. Part of him was curious to see what profession Draco would actually take up, the boy has no ambition outside of getting better grades than Harry or Hermione.

Lucius took the two of them to an elevator, expertly pressing a button without looking at them and they were taken to the floor where the highest-ranking officials worked on. “Do feel free to refer to me by my first name, especially since I’m assuming you refer to my son as ‘Mr. Malfoy’.” Lucius commented with a condescending chuckle. Something in the back of Lupin’s head decided to just humor him.

“Very well, Lucius,” Well, this will help whenever he encounters Draco again. Lupin was starting to suspect the boy gained most of his looks from his mother but the coloring from his father… and then his personality from his father but manipulated by Harry.

While Sirius may disagree with him if the topic arises, Lupin could definitely see how the Sorting Hat decided to put Harry in Slytherin. Sometimes, whenever Lupin watched how Harry interacted with his peers, it reminded him of a puppet master. The boy was always one finger twitch away from controlling everything around him... and yet, Harry never gave off an aura that he wants control, rather he wants someone to tell _him_ what to do. 

Lucius entered Fudge's office without even knocking, taking long strides to reach the Minister and shook his hand. “Cornelius, I apologize for being late, I ran into someone of interest.”

“No need to apologize, Lucius! Who might it be?” Fudge craned his neck to look at Lupin. “Hello, good afternoon.”

“Ah… Good afternoon,” Lupin cleared his throat and held out his right hand to shake Fudge’s. “Remus Lupin, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.”

“Goodness, I forgot they had to hire a new professor again! How is Hogwarts fairing, any signs of Sirius Black?” Fudge asked rather eagerly, not taking much notice of Lupin's extra companion.

“About that, I have information about Black-,” Lupin was cut short when Arthur came in, a random wire dangling from his robe’s pockets and a bit of oil on his cheek. Sansa was perched on Arthur’s forearm, this time on a thick leather glove and she examined the room with an air of tense calmness.

“Sorry, sir. I received this owl from Lucius about coming here immediately- wait this is Harry’s owl,” Arthur quickly examined the snowy he was carrying, looking mildly frazzled. “Sarah, right?”

“Sansa,” Lucius corrected. “Remus here, claims to have information about Sirius Black and he was requested by Harry to bring you along too.”

Arthur’s lips pursed into a frown, he looked at the men in the room and the owl that looked anything but amused. He shrugged and did his best to clap his hands in anticipation. “Well, let’s hear it! I have a telly that an old witch charmed to do the samba in her muggle neighbor's home that I need to de-spell.”

For the briefest moment, Lupin was absolutely _terrified_ to think about what was going on in the minds of these men’s wives. Their letters to him about Harry were coordinated and the wording was similar, but these men were about as opposite as you can get. Okay, enough about contemplating people, Lupin came here with a goal in mind.

He confidently went to Fudge’s desk and slammed the rat cage onto the dark wood, making Peter squeak in terror.

“This rat, is Peter Pettigrew’s Animagus form. He became one illegally and used it to pretend to be this garden rat.” Not caring if he got bit, Lupin opened the cage and reached in, grabbing Peter at the upper chest then using his free hand to make sure Peter doesn’t slide down.

Fudge began to chuckle amusingly when Arthur was suddenly in Lupin’s space. “Hold on, that’s Scabbers! He was my son Percy’s then we passed him on to Ron for his first year of Hogwarts.” Arthur looked up at Fudge with wide eyes. “Honest, he was in the family for eleven years then Ron gave him to Harry Potter for another two.”

“Impossible,” Lucius scoffed out. “While I never owned one, I am acutely aware that rats do not live past a few years.”

“Because he is not a rat, he’s Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was missing a finger, and this rat is missing a toe on the exact same spot!” Lupin exclaimed exasperatingly. “Harry brought him into my office today to ask about the possibility of there being a magical species of rat with his long life-span. I noticed the missing toe and used the Animagus counter-spell. Luckily, Harry was away from us or I fear Pettigrew might have hurt the boy.”

Lupin saw three faces. Arthur’s eyes were glossed over and his mouth hanging open, looking at Peter with something akin to absolute horror. Lucius’s face was tight, his nose pulled up ever-so-slightly, and his eyes with the faintest squint. Fudge was oddly calm, looking at the squirming rat thoughtfully.

“Then… if that really is Peter Pettigrew… then Sirius Black is…”

“Innocent,” Lupin finished. “Pettigrew betrayed the Potters, sold them to Voldemort-” He waited for everyone to let out their gasps/screams, “- Sorry. Sirius Black didn’t go after Pettigrew because Black was a follower, but out of revenge for our friends’ death!”

The door opens again and Lupin watches several Aurors enter the room, including Kingsley Shacklebolt. Lupin didn’t remember anyone summoning the Aurors, but it brought comfort to him knowing that Peter would have a harder time escaping if he tried. He pulled out his wand, and dropped Peter on the ground and casted the counter-spell before he could run.

Lupin made a note that the moment Peter transformed, Lucius gained as much distance from the man as possible.

“P-Please! I can explain!” Peter begged to the Aurors, one of them grabbed him to keep him from running away.

“Kingsley,” Fudge said sternly, ignoring the man’s pleas. “Order Sirius Black’s case to be reinvestigated, the search for him is for information, not for arrest.”

“Right away,” Kingsley said with a nod, “You okay, Arthur?”

“I don’t think I am,” Arthur said darkly, wand pointing at Peter. Sansa flew off of his arm and landed on one of the chairs in the office. “My kids… this _man_ was pretending to be a rat to avoid imprisonment, and he was around my children! Molly and I let him roam the house freely and be in the kids’ rooms! He slept in the children’s rooms! _THE CHILDREN LET HIM BE ON THEIR BEDS!_ ”

Lupin decided it would be safe to lean as much away from the patriarch Weasley as possible without looking rude. But then it occurred to him that, while Lupin was certain this all meant nothing to Peter, Peter was in the same room as Harry and his roommates. A chill ran down his spine at what must have gone through Sirius’ head during the months he was under Harry’s care. Lupin had to acknowledge that as a rat, it’s not as if Peter had a say in where his cage would be, but he wasn’t going to blame Arthur for wanting blood either.

“Ow! Bloody hell, he bit me!”

Lupin’s attention on Arthur was diverted when Peter bit the Auror that held him. In Peter’s hand, was the Auror’s wand.

“ _Expelliarmus!”_ Lupin, Arthur, and the still-armed Aurors shouted in unison at Peter, but he turned back into a rat. The E _xpelliarmus_ spell hit the adjacent wizard to the caster, rather than their intended targets, sending wands flying in every direction. Sansa let out a screech and took off after Peter as the rat scrambled out of the room while everyone else that was not Lucius and Fudge were looking for their wands.

Kingsley seemed to be the only one to remember that he could summon his wand and did so, running out of the room.

“Don’t let him escape!” Fudge shouted, his skin pale and he turned his head at Lupin. “Would you please inform Dumbledore that I will be removing the Dementors from Hogwarts by the end of the week? I suppose this means that if Pettigrew is alive then Black may truly be innocent…”

“Might I suggest,” Lucius said, sandwiching himself into the conversation. “That we have Aurors scout Hogwarts grounds instead of the Dementors? Innocent or not, Black would still have thirteen years of Azkaban’s treatment on his shoulders. If he spent that much time where only his mind as his companion, then he would be focused on a target.”

“But who would he go-” Fudge started but Lupin spoke up with the million galleon answer.

“Harry Potter is his godson, remember? It was on the Potters’ will that Harry would go to Sirius if something happened to them. If he can’t get to Pettigrew…”

“He’ll go find Harry Potter,” Fudge’s eyes lit up, a mixture of realization and worry on his face. Kingsley returned, breathing heavily but also empty-handed. “What happened?”

“He used the floo network, we don’t know where he went but he’s gone,” Kingsley said and ducked when Sansa flew into the room, looking upset again. "We're trying to locate which fireplace he used."

Fudge let out a groan. “Arthur, please see Mr. Lupin makes it safely back to Hogwarts with Harry Potter’s owl. Someone bring in the Daily Prophet, we need to make sure word of this reaches the people.”

Lupin left the office with Arthur and Sansa, who was resting on his arm. The rat cage was left behind in Fudge’s office with the hopes that they could use it to track Peter down. Though... he highly doubt it unless the droppings in the corner had a magical signature.

“Arthur?” Lupin started. “Don’t blame yourself, you didn’t know… no one did.”

“No one but Sirius Black apparently,” Arthur grumbled, eyes dark. "How could he have been sent to Azkaban without so much as a trial... every single Death Eater from Slytherin received one. How did Harry even know to send you out with Sansa?"

Lupin opened his mouth, then clicked it shut. It’s Harry’s business if he wants to tell others he’s been exchanging letters with Sirius.

"Harry just follows his gut and it led him to this..." Was the best answer Lupin could give.

When Lupin returned to Hogwarts, he found that Harry and Sirius had long left the classroom- even putting the class back in order, how sweet. He checked the clock, he had an hour left before the Hogsmeade students returned, just enough time to inform Dumbledore.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

By the time the students started entering the Great Hall for breakfast, Lupin was on his third cup of coffee. His heart racing from caffeine and he was ready to slam his head into his eggs and fall asleep there. He was grateful that today was Sunday, so he didn’t have to teach and instead take a… maybe a three-hour nap in his office. 

Lupin watched the students pouring into the room and taking their seats, following the movements with slow, heavy eyes. It didn’t take long for him to locate Harry, who was a name-carve away from claiming that single spot at the Slytherin table as his own. He had to tell Harry, tell him he’s sorry for letting Peter get away.

Just as he stood up, the owls came swooping in from the upper windows. The dozens of birds of prey swiftly located their intended students and dropped packages, letters, and the barn owls not owned by students delivered papers. Lupin gave a weak chuckle when Harry’s owl tossed the letter in the boy’s face, taking over his plate. He watched as the room became quiet, minus Dumbledore’s calm humming as he enjoyed his morning... Lupin was too tired to figure out what the Headmaster was drinking.

Harry said something to the Zabini boy, giving him the “give it here” motion that Lupin remembered James giving him when demanding his homework. That was a funny thing to remember; Lupin could barely see Harry even positioned his thumb like his father used to.

Harry scanned the letter, taking less time than Lupin expected. The boy let out a breath, schooling his emotions by hiding it behind his cup. He conversed with Lucius’ son, watching his owl fly away.

Lupin slumped in his chair in defeat. It was too late, the boy knew. If only he had gotten there sooner to apologize to Harry, warn him about the papers ahead of time-

Harry looked up at Lupin, giving him a smile and a wink. Lupin straightened up, his mind reworking in puzzlement. Harry… wasn’t angry at him? As happy as that made Lupin feel, there was just no way he should be this relaxed about the whole situation.

Lupin drained his coffee in a single gulp. He would talk with the boy today, Merlin forbid that nap.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“You wanted to see me, Professor Lupin?” Harry asked casually as he sat down in one of the chairs in Lupin’s office. Sirius was sitting beside Harry in his Animagus form, looking at the boy patiently.

If anyone entered Lupin’s office, they would question why there were three teacups.

“I think Sirius is waiting for you to remove the collar, Harry,” Lupin said, pointing at his friend who let out a huff.

“Eh?” Harry said with a Ravenclaw’s wit. “Oh! Sorry, Sirius!” He quickly removed the collar around Sirius’ neck, looking unimpressed as Sirius reverted back to his human form. “Nothing is stopping you from transfiguring back even with it on, right? Is it too tight?”

“No, no Harry. It’s just a preference thing,” Sirius reassured the boy, taking a seat in the other chair with a sigh. “I forgot how good it feels to sit in a real chair…”

Harry shot up rather abruptly from his seat and began to prepare the tea, giving one of the cups to Sirius while he nestled back into his chair with his own cup. Lupin was starting to think Harry liked tea a little _too_ much. Shouldn’t boys his age be drinking pumpkin juice and other sweet drinks?

Lupin shook his head at the questions. “Harry, I’m so sorry Peter got away. Things were so chaotic and-”

“Sir?” Harry stopped him, throwing Lupin out of a loop for a minute as he found it off-putting that a mini-James Potter was using formalities. “I don’t blame you for him getting away, if anything it’s the Aurors’ fault. It was… what? You, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Weasley, Fudge-” Lupin noted the lack of a title, “- and how many Aurors?”

“Three.”

“Three, okay so six wizards, an owl trained specifically to catch the rat version of him, _and_ Pettigrew was wandless? How could they even fail doing something as simple as casting a body-binding jinx, or a leg-locking jinx? In fact, while I’m on this rant, if they failed to capture someone like Pettigrew, -who couldn’t think with a human-sized brain in thirteen years- then how the bloody hell were they expecting to catch _him_ -” Harry jabbed his right thumb in Sirius’ direction. “-even with the Dementor’s assistance?”

Lupin exchanged glances with Sirius. While Harry meant well in his rant and was obviously targeting the Aurors with his frustration, it certainly didn’t make Lupin feel any less like a fool. After all, he was one of the six wizards in that room.

Harry took another gulp of his tea- how is this child not burning his mouth, tongue, and throat? The liquid was still hot! “Well, at least Fudge was able to see Pettigrew in the flesh… that man only believes what his eyes see…” Harry’s eyes hazed over, focusing on nothing in particular as he began to think about… something. From the times he’s heard Draco complaining, he does this enough that his friends notice.

Lupin vaguely recalls Severus warning him about Harry’s “zone out time”.

_“Mr. Potter prefers to keep many things in his head with his heart on his sleeve. However, while a quiet student when working, he thinks too loudly.”_ Was what Severus had said, and Lupin was starting to understand what he meant. Harry thoughts were as loud as a thunderclap, but even then Lupin couldn't pinpoint what thoughts were what.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Sirius broke the silence, watching Harry with unwavering eyes.

“Hm?” Harry’s eyes lazily drifted over to Sirius before suddenly becoming clear. He blinked several times and fixed his posture. “Oh! I met him at the Malfoy’s Christmas ball last year. He didn’t give off the best first impression. Weak handshake, was drinking a martini of all types of drinks for an old man, just… _blech_.” Harry’s whole body convulsed in a violent shiver that made Lupin concerned it was more than just a shiver. Thank the stars and moon that it was only just a shiver though.

Sirius laughed. “Well, your friend’s dad Lucius has the Minister’s ear most of the time. Wouldn’t surprise me if the old coot was more corrupt than the prison system in Azkaban.”

“Speaking of Azkaban,” Lupin said firmly, trying to re-route back to the original topic. “I’ll start working on a plan to get the Aurors to encounter Sirius without anyone getting hurt or Sirius getting arrested again.”

“Sirius has free roam as Phantom, if you two need to discuss while I’m in class you can do that. I’ll just tell my friends that Phantom has taken a liking to you.” Harry shrugged, seemingly okay with just lying to his friends for this.

“Do you… lie to your friends often?” Lupin questioned cautiously.

“No, I rarely lie, the last time I tried lying to my friends I ended up tasting vinegar for a month.” 

Lupin’s eyebrow slowly raised up as Sirius fell backwards and onto the ground in a full-belly laugher. “Why…?”

“H-Harry’s an Animagus, Remus!” Sirius coughed out in between laughs. “Can you believe it, he’s a genius! Figured out how to do it all on his own and succeeded too!”

“What-? How-? When-?” Lupin sputtered, looking at the boy who was trying to make the chair swallow him up as he shrank into the furniture.

“I was hoping to keep it a secret,” Harry mumbled behind his teacup. His face was transforming into Gryffindor red, right up to his ears which were hidden underneath his hair. “I thought McGonagall was cool being able to turn into a cat so I… made a deal with her to let me have access to books on Animagi. Professor Sprout growing mandrakes for the petrification cure was too good of an opportunity to miss so I… well..” He takes a sip. “I can turn into a Siberian tiger.”

Lupin swore he heard a pin drop from the Divination classroom.

“That’s not the most practical of forms,” Lupin said slowly. All he got as a response was an uncaring shrug.

Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose. This is why he never really made friends with the Slytherins during his school-days besides… well, the war. Ravenclaws will do something even if you tell them not to do it and then _brag_ about it when they succeed. Hufflepuffs will listen to what you say and take it fully into consideration. Gryffindors won’t listen to what you say and then drag you into the whole mess even if you warned them on a daily basis.

Slytherins… you don't know if they listened to you or not until you catch them red-handed and that's _if_ you catch them.

"Anyway... it's not that I lie, it's just people either don't ask the questions or they don't ask the right questions. If I had a scar for every time I've directly lied to my friends' faces I'd have..." Harry's head lowered, and he slowly began to count on his fingers. He stopped and looked up at Lupin with wide eyes. "Does it count as lying if you give vague information?"

"Let's not worry about that too much." Lupin shot a glare at Sirius, who was still laughing but continued to speak to Harry. “Harry, I want to teach you a spell eventually. It’s the _Patronus_ charm, a spell used to deflect Dementors away. With how you reacted on the train when you first met a Dementor, I think it would be practical for you to learn it.”

“Can it kill a Dementor?” Harry asked in a blunt tone.

Lupin blinked. “No… there is no known way to kill a Dementor.” Was the boy seriously considering finding a spell that can…

“Bummer,” Merlin’s beard, he is! “Still, that spell sounds pretty wicked, when do we start the lessons?”

“Soon, Harry. I don’t think today is a good idea…” Lupin blinked again, this time a minor ache came from his eyes. “I uh… didn’t sleep well last night.”

Sirius frowned, looking out the window.

“It’s not that, Padfoot,” Lupin quickly corrected his friend. “Harry… would you mind if I speak with Sirius alone for a few minutes?”

Harry nodded, “I don’t see why not, I need to meet up with Luna anyway to help her with potions.” He turned to Sirius with a large grin and bright eyes, “I’ll be in the dungeons.”

“I’ll catch up with you, Harry,” Sirius responded. The two men watched as Harry collected his bag -Lupin questioning the boy’s fashion choice- and left the classroom with a slight skip in his step. “His ponytail is higher than usual.”

“I was wondering why I kept seeing green on the top of his head,” Lupin pondered, resting back in his chair. “Again, I’m sorry about Peter, Padfoot.”

“If he has any brains left, Wormtail won’t show his face around here ever again, and if he does,” Sirius let out a low growl in his throat. “A dog can outrun and out bite a rat. In a way… I’m grateful that the traitor is still alive, it gave me the motivation to get out of Azkaban and find Harry.”

“Do you believe what he said though? About Harry knowing about him this whole time?”

“I believe that Harry knew something was wrong with Peter when the Weasley boy told him about his age. But I’m choosing to believe my godson above _him_ ,” Sirius said while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Something else on your mind?” Lupin asked.

Sirius looked at the window, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Harry and Snivellus are close. That greasy-haired potions maker showed up at the Leaky Cauldron when Harry ran away from 'home'… not even Dumbledore went to check on him, it was _Snape_ of all people and-!”

“Sirius, Severus is Harry’s Head of House and he was Lily’s closest friend until they drifted apart. Before you assume the worst, I can assure you that Severus means no harm to the boy,” Lupin raised a hand when Sirius’ leaned forward to protest. “You can not stop Harry from developing Slytherin traits nor can you keep Severus from interacting with him. Based on what I’ve observed, Harry will actively seek him out for guidance. I would not be surprised if Severus was the first adult to treat Harry with any level of decency.”

“I should have been there for him…” Sirius sulked, sinking more into his chair. “I missed out on thirteen years of my godson’s life. He… could have had a childhood if I raised him.”

“I know, Padfoot. We cannot alter the past but if you could just get your head out of the clouds for five minutes we can figure out a way to make sure you are there for Harry’s future.” Lupin hit his desk in emphasis, seemingly knocking Sirius out of his gloomy demeanor. Sirius’s eyes scanned the room, his face pinching up in ways that reminded Lupin of their Hogwarts days when he was coming up with pranking ideas with James. The nostalgia tugged at Lupin’s heart more than he could have ever imagine.

“I have a plan.”

Was there a catch?

"I have a plan and we need to keep Harry out of it."

There it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now some people may speculate what would have happened if Lupin didn't bring Harry's owl? Well... Lucius would have straight up not believed him, simple as that. Sansa is the universal language of "This involves Harry, listen to the bird" that the... ahem... loving matriarchs of the Malfoy and Weasley clans have drilled into their darling husbands' brains.
> 
> I would also like to make something clear about Pettigrew: I am not writing him with the intent of making him look like a pedophile. Straight up, Pettigrew had no interest in the Weasley kids in THAT sense, instead he saw the family as a good cover story to hide from Sirius Black and others that may know his true form. However, from a parent's point of view, that is exactly how Arthur sees him because Pettigrew was allowed to be in the childrens' rooms; any parent would assume the worst if they realized their child's pet could turn into a full-grown adult. I actually hate that Rowling never once had Arthur or Molly respond to this news, even if it was watered-down disgust to keep the books child-friendly. Harry does not see Pettigrew as a pedophile/creep because then he would have to treat Sirius in the same light since he was also in the same room as kids. It's a grey area, but I wanted to make it clear that how Arthur reacted is very much different compared to Harry or other adults simply because he's a father who cares about his children and their friends.
> 
> In general this chapter was an experiment for me. I want to get used to writing in third person again for a future story idea and wanted to make sure I could write a consistent narrative. I had a lot of fun and may do more chapters like this in the future if the story needs it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, there is references to the MCU in this chapter. I am not expecting you to 100% understand what each line is from, they were for my own personal amusement.

**3rd Person POV**

Sirius trotted down the flight of stone stairs to the dungeons to find Harry. Of course, out of all of the subjects his godson excelled in, it had to be Snivillus’ class. Sirius was torn, on one hand he was proud of Harry and his grades. The boy was intelligent like his mother and would have made Lily proud.

On the other hand… that overly-glorified chemistry class. It didn’t help that Harry often came out of the classroom smelling like he was sitting in the ingredients. His canine nose could only take so much salamander blood. He always hated how James and the others smelt after the classes once he became an Animagus, a side-effect to the spell no doubt. A part of Sirius wondered what aspects of a tiger Harry will end up inheriting, if any traits at all.

Sirius lifted his tail and wagged it excitingly when he spotted the little Ravenclaw girl walk towards him with her usual glazed eyes. Out of all of Harry’s friends, Sirius was pretty sure he liked her best. She wasn’t loud and had an… usual level of wisdom behind her eyes that no one but Harry seemed to appreciate. Besides that, it always seemed like, to him at least, that Harry was more comfortable around her than anyone else.

“Hello, Phantom,” Luna greeted Sirius with a scratch behind his pointy ears. 

Sirius let out a whine when he noticed Harry wasn’t with her, tilting his head at the young girl in confusion. He thought Harry was supposed to be with her?

“Harry’s with Professor Snape doing extra lessons.” Luna seemingly answered his thoughts, still scratching his ears. Sirius wondered if his ears were actually soft because everyone keeps touching them. “Harry was always tense last year. Lots of things made him nervous. But this year he’s been more relaxed, actually took some naps during our study sessions.”

Sirius tilted his head to the other side.

“Thank you for watching Harry. We love him and worry about him a lot.” She removed her hand from Sirius’ ear and stood straight. “Knowing you’ve been there protecting him lets us not worry so much…” Luna stared into Sirius’ eyes for a long time, long enough to make Sirius start to lower his ears in submission. “You played the drums in your past life… I wonder if daddy has any information on second lives...”

With that, Luna moved around Sirius and walked off. Okay… Sirius had to admit she was a _little_ weird but she had a good heart.

Sirius reached the door that has the Potion’s classroom only to find the door shut. Curious, he lifted a paw and was about to scratch the wood when he heard Snivillus’ voice.

“Remember, Potter, in these lessons I will attempt to penetrate your mind and see what you hold most secret.”

‘Excuse me he’s going to do _what?_!’ Sirius growled in his head, which caused a physical growl to escape his throat. The room went silent except for swift footsteps. The door flung open from the inside and Sirius stared into the eyes of his school-days enemy.

The greasy-haired git’s hooked nose scrunched up into an annoyed sneer. “Potter, your dog is here.”

“Phantom?” Sirius heard Harry say from somewhere in the room, Snivillus’ robes blocked his view. “Great, is it okay if he comes in for the lesson?”

Snivillus raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder to look in Harry’s direction. Sirius could almost hear the rusted cogs whirring in the man’s head as he returned his gaze to Sirius, the git’s glare intense.

“No.” The door slammed in Sirius’ face. “ _Muffliato_.”

A buzzing sound like an annoying little bee invaded Sirius’ ears down to the drum and he continued to growl. Merlin forbid when he gets his hands on Snape’s neck he was going to wring the “Potions Master” until he was bluer than the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team!

**Harry’s POV**

“You didn’t have to slam the door in his face, Professor,” I pointed out bluntly, blinking once at the door. Sirius will be fine. I’m sure he’s smart enough to not have his nos _that_ close to the door… I hope. “He could just stay in the corner of the room.”

“As far as I’m aware, that dog is highly protective of you… it would be unwise for him to be in a room full of deadly potion’s ingredients… when you will be showing obvious signs of discomfort and stress.” Snape calmly picked up his wand from the table, examining it like it wasn’t something he used often. “As you already know, the Dark Lord took pleasure in invading the minds of his victims and twisting them until only insanity remained and they begged for death.”

“I’m… aware,” I parrot back, mimicking his drawl which caused the older man to twist around to glare at me. “Sorry, couldn’t resist. Uh, please continue, Sir.”

Snape glared down at me until I shrunk into the chair, then his face returned to neutral. “In these lessons, you will learn to build up shields and close your mind to invaders and influencers. Prepare yourself,” Snape pointed his wand at me, “ _Legilimens.”_

The memories came flooding in.

“ _I hope you’re pleased with yourselves.” Hermione scolded Harry and Ron, “We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.”_

Why, in the name of Medusa’s inability to use conditioner, would that be the first memory Snape finds from the books?!

_“Yes, Sir.”_

_“There is no need to call me ‘sir’, Professor,” Harry smirked through his words at Snape._

“Focus.” My Snape commanded, digging more through memory after memory. Nothing was working when I tried to push him out of my mind. But on the other hand, he was only finding memories that had little impact to my knowledge and he wasn't getting into the things I want to keep a secret. "Let us find that memory then."

_“You’ve been a good and faithful servant, Severus-”_

Oh hell no, you are not going near that!

_“This drink; I like it! Another!” The sound of ceramic shattering echoed as a muscular blond man had smashed his coffee cup onto the diner floor_.

I forced out a small chuckle through the discomfort my entire body, like something was crawling in through my ear and wiggling around through my nose, neck, limbs. The feeling nearly made me want to break the connection, to end the lesson. But Snape was trying to redirect my mind back to my memories of the books and the movies. 

_Fudge chuckled nervously, “Why, dear boy, we don’t send wizards to Azkaban just for-”_

_“Activating instant kill.” A robotic female voice replaced Fudge’s pathetic one as the memory shifted. Spiderman twitched his head and claimed he didn’t want to kill anyone in a high-pitched and panicked voice as he hid from some bad guys._

“You are supposed to be closing your mind,” Snape hissed out, breaking the connection long enough to scold me.

“I’m trying!” I argued, “I don’t know how to stop my mind from thinking!”

“Learn then,” Snape flicked his wand and returned back to my memories.

It was a tug-of-war between the two of us. Snape would find a memory from my past life about this world or a memory from the last three years and play them. However, midway through the memory, I would then toss in a scene from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I don’t know why but the memories are just… they’re just fresher in my mind. I tried to shove him out, push him out of my head, but when I tried to do that…

_“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers-”_

_“The FitnessGram™ Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues.”_

I think I prefer Marvel- why did that come out so clearly _WITH_ the gym echo?!

“Focus, you are to not rest until you have learned to block my spells!” He activated the spell again.

_“I could do this all day.”_

Snape stopped long enough for me to see the twitch in his eye.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Enough!” Snape said, breaking the connection for the final time. I slammed my head against the chair he had me sit in, sweat rolling down my head, my neck, my back- okay I just feel exhausted and gross.

“W-Why?” I gasped out not realizing I had barely breathed most of the lesson. “I-... I think I’m-” A wheeze. “Getting good at… Merlin, it’s hard to breathe… good at redirecting.”

“You can _not_ block the Dark Lord from your mind by ‘redirecting’,” Snape quoted back to me. He was also somewhat out of breath. Honestly, we look like we ran a marathon if someone walked into the room.

“S-Sure I can, come on! I haven’t even gotten to the cat videos!” I took a full gulp of air and regained some of my composure. “Besides one incident that all came from one fandom!”

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, sharply inhaling. When he released his nose, he shoved his wand back into his robes and fixed the cuffs of his sleeves. “Our next lesson will be next week, at the same time. Until then I expect you to work on closing your mind. Failure to show signs of progress and I may have to give you… surprise lessons during class time.”

“But what if-” I started but Snape held up a hand.

“ _If_ you are able to redirect before I even reach a memory, we may work on it… considering your condition, your mind is uniquely structured. You have twice as many memories as someone of your age; dare I say, you have triple if we count your past live's age.” Snape dramatically turned to his bookshelves, running his hand along the leather spines. “However, that does not excuse your inability to produce blocking shields, you _will_ learn them. Dismissed.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you... for at least putting up with me, I understand that seeing you in scenarios that haven't happened yet could be jarring,” I said and slide off the chair, gripping onto the arm to stop my knees from buckling. Once steadied I open the classroom door where I am greeted with an extremely distressed dog. “Hi, boy~! How’s the bestest, smartest boi to ever exist?”

Phantom made his distress known, immediately nuzzling my face with high pitched whines, sniffing and checking me out for injuries that caused him to jab his nose into my rib.

“Ow! Seriously?” I groaned, rubbing my side the door slammed behind me, the wind from the door flung my ponytail over my shoulder. “Professor, that was rude!”

No response.

Shaking my head, I pull out Phantom’s lead from my bag and clip it to his collar. “Come on, I have to finish an essay tonight.”

As we walked, I glanced down at Phantom who had his head bowed low and his tail almost dragged across the stone floor if it was just a few inches longer. Was… Sirius sulking?

“Professor Snape isn’t that bad of a person, you know.” That got his attention rather quickly. “He’s teaching me Occlumency to protect my mind,” I continue with a tap to my forehead where my scar is. “We don’t know what connections I have with Voldemort.”

Phantom huffed and turned his nose away from me. Yep, definitely sulking.

I just roll my eyes and continue our trek to the Common Room.

... What would happen if I created shields based on fandoms that do not exist yet? Could Voldemort even guess the names of all 12 Chinese Zodiac characters from _Fruits Basket?_ Could I even make shields where to bypass you have to answer questions?

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I glanced at the half-dozen Aurors in the Great Hall, drowning my scrambled eggs in enough syrup to make Blaise’s chocolatey skin turn a shade of green. You’d think that after three years of me drowning my breakfasts in syrup he’d stop changing colors but I guess that’s only wishful thinking. You do you chameleon boy.

The Aurors were here as the main replacements for the Dementors. A few were still remaining on Hogwarts’ grounds to find Pettigrew even though Dementors cannot see a human in their Animagus form. Honestly, I’ve given up trying to figure out the logic of this year. The main issue, which was Sirius, was now over with so I can spend the rest of the year relaxing.

The rest of the day was playing off like any other day, classes, homework, and today was another club meeting. We all _finally_ finished the _Magician’s Nephew_ and were now moving onto _The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe_ with everyone but Hermione and myself passing out our copies of the former book to friends to enjoy. At this rate, we'll read the entire series if nothing else comes up. I'm thinking about introducing them to _Jurassic Park_ next year if they can stomach horror and it would give the wizard kids an introduction to science.

Everything was going smoothly. Blaise and the Patil twins were having a heated debate about muggles and magic. Collin, his brother, Luna, and Neville were talking about the religious symbolism. Lavender was the only person actually reading. Everything was fine... it's just.... only thing bugging me today was…

“Harry?” Hermione poked my arm, making me jump out of my thoughts both figuratively and literally. “Are you alright?”

“Uh-... y-yeah, I’m just…” I slowly got up and walked to the window of the classroom, looking at the grounds as Lupin was walking with the Aurors. “Wondering where Phantom is… he wasn’t in the hallways after breakfast and I haven’t seen him… all… day...”

Wait, Lupin is walking with the Aurors?!

I rested my forearm against the stone window frame and leaned closer to the glass. Lupin and the other wizards were walking at a quick pace, and I could faintly see their wands in their hands as they rushed past the Whomping Willow towards… Hogsmeade…

‘Hogsmeade… The Shrieking Shack. Sirius!’ I quickly grab my book and stuff it in my bag. “I forgot I need to do some things.”

“Good luck with your things, Harry,” Luna calmly responded and opening her new book, upside down of course. “They must be important to you if you need to leave behind the chance to read.”

“Everything okay, Harry?” Hermione asked, starting to stand up. I held my hand out to stop her.

“I think so… I haven’t seen Phantom all morning and I’m worried he might be somewhere he shouldn’t. I gotta go check.” My friends plus the others nodded and I calmly walked out of the room.

Only to break into a run the moment the door closed behind me. Huh… deja vu.

Students turned their heads to follow me as I pushed past crowds, trying to get to the outer walls of the castle. I have to be missing something, why would Sirius be in the Shrieking Shack? Why would Lupin be leading them _to_ the Shrieking Shack?! _We did not discuss anything about with the Shrieking Shack!_

“Excuse me, Professor!” I yelled loudly as I nearly slammed into Snape, barely dodging a collision by taking a rough brush against the hallway’s wall. “Sorry! I’m having dog issues!”

“Potter!” I heard Snape’s voice chase after me as I made it outside. Why, out of all of the professors in Hogwarts, did I have to cross paths with the one that associates me running with heading into danger?!

To be fair, I am running towards the Whomping Willow.

The branches of the willow became agitated as I continued my sprint towards it. I pulled out my wand and pointed at a branch that was making its heavy swing in my direction. “ _Reducto!”_

The tree leaned away, seemingly in pain as a third of the branch shattered, ancient wood splinted and the chips scattered, littering my hair and robes. “Sorry tree! I’ll research a spell to fix that!”

“ _POTTER!”_

‘No time for formalities, this is gonna burn!’ I internally braced myself as I made like a baseball player and dove to the ground, sliding into the hidden entrance of the Whomping Willow. I laid there for a minute, groaning as I expected a burning feeling like sliding down a rope, not a blunt impact that continued to hit because of all of the secret rocks.

Slowly inhaling from my nose and exhaled through my mouth, I pushed myself up and pointed my -thankfully unbroken- wand to myself “ _Scourgify.”_ The spell rid me of the dirt and rocks that stuck to my robes and hair. As I redid my hair I heard Snape let out select words as he was assessing the damage I had done to the Willow. Occlumency is going to bite this week, I just know it.

“I’m going to the Shrieking Shack!” I yelled out to Snape, taking a few steps forward when my mind thought of something that brought my entire body to a screeching halt.

I could have just used _Immobulus_ and avoided damage to the willow altogether.

“Bloody idiot. Stupid, stupid, _stupid!_ ” I scolded myself, smacking my palm onto my forehead. Of course the first spell I decide to use is the one that destroys anything it touches. Well, too late to redo that mistake now, Hermione's returned her time-turner and I haven't seen a second me anywhere.

Knowing Snape will be following me soon I started to walk through the tunnel, minding where I stopped to make sure I didn’t hurt myself. For a minute, things were going smoothly until-

_Smack!_

“Ow!” I placed my hands on my head as it bonked the low ceiling of the tunnel. Reaching up, I didn’t have to stretch my arm far before I touched dirt, some of it sprinkling my hair which I shook off. Whoever thought that the tunnel had tall, cavernous walls did not consider the fact that the distance between the surface and the ground under the willow was not much. “Tch… I am not going to crouch-walk as a human.”

Checking over my shoulder and seeing no Snape -granted there isn’t much I _can_ see with it being so dark- I took a deep breath and transformed into my Animagus form.

… Well, I fixed the dark problem.

My overall new bulk didn’t help much with the cramped space, but I could see and crouching was more comfortable. I’m starting to question how my dad and his friends managed to use this tunnel every full moon with how small the space is. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if they let Lupin’s werewolf form dig the tunnel to be wider and then years of unuse made nature take over.

When my sensitive eyes saw light and my paws touched wood, I changed back into a human. I quickly popped a few joints in my neck, still not used to being in my animal form, and pushed open the trap door, looking at the Shrieking Shack.

It’s a shame that no one ever bothered to re-purpose the building, I could tell it was once a pleasant home. High wooden walls that, based on remaining chips, were once painted white but have since returned to their natural colors. Each step made a soft creek like it was at risk of breaking and taking my foot with it to the foundations below. Even the furniture, though tattered and covered in claw marks, tells the story that a family once lived here many years ago.

It was also quiet.

‘Must have made it here before the Aurors and Lupin somehow…’ I thought to myself, pushing a chair on top of the trapdoor to slow down Snape. “Sirius? You here?”

A creaking sound above me answered that question. Despite every horror movie ever made saying that going upstairs when you hear a creak is a bad idea, come on… it’s _Sirius_ and I have a wand and a necklace that works as a poisonous knife. So, going against years of instinct, I followed the noise and went up the stairs. If this was a horror movie, I would have died five minutes ago... back at the tunnel.

“Sirius?” I nudged the door open with my foot, coughing slightly when dust flew into my face. “Ugh, that is disgusting. How can you breathe this stuff? Sirius, this isn’t funny, what are you doing?”

Sirius was pale, eyes shifting frantically around the room but mostly focused on me. Why was he acting so panicked by seeing me? 

“I saw Professor Lupin heading over here with Aurors and wanted to make sure you were okay. Is there a plan or-” I turn my head to look at the door as voices started to come into the building. “Do you guys need help-?”

Heavy footsteps and an arm wrapped around my throat, almost painfully forcing my body to bend sideways to accommodate the sudden movements. Another hand ripped my wand out of my grip and I feel the tip of my wand pressed against my skull. I heard Snape’s voice join in the group downstairs.

“Not a word, Harry,” Sirius murmurs, forcing the two of us to back away from the door. My heart began to pound in my chest as I tried to figure out just exactly what was happening.

What the bloody hell is everyone thinking?!

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**3rd person**

“He’s in here,” Lupin said as he and the group of Aurors reached the gates to the Shrieking Shack.

“Are you sure it’s Sirius Black?” Kingsley asked for the 5th time the entire walk. He eyed the run-down building with distrust, having been told the house was haunted, cursed even by some of his friends.

“ _Yes_ ,” Lupin said exasperated, did Aurors have to ask the same question so many times? “Sirius Black and James Potter were my best friends during my Hogwarts years and beyond, they always hid here to avoid getting in trouble from pranks.”

Doubt was still written across Kingsley and the other Aurors’ faces but they followed Lupin into the Shrieking Shack anyway, wands prepared to stun _only_. Their orders were simple: Bring Sirius Black to St. Mungo’s with minimal harm. The issue was would Black cooperate with them or would he attack?

When Lupin stepped into the room, he heard thumping. His eyes followed the sound, landing on the trap door he and his friends used to use to access this place, now with a chair over the door. Odd… the drag marks are new and the dust has been pushed away. He went to the chair and lifted it up, barely moving out of the way in time for Severus to fling open the trapdoor, looking frazzled and one wrong move away from losing his already short temper.

“Severus?” Lupin helped the Potions Master out of the trapdoor and signaled for the trigger-happy Aurors to calm down and lower their wands. “What are you doing in there?”

“Potter.” That single word from Severus made Lupin’s stomach dropped. “He destroyed one of the Whomping Willow’s branches and used this tunnel hidden at the base of the tree. I am curious as to what reason would send him running here. Potter running in any direction usually indicates trouble.”

“Sirius Black is reported to be hiding here,” Kingsley responded and Lupin watched Severus' usually gaunt skin turn ashy. Just as the report came in, the sound of a scuffle upstairs could be heard, echoing down to the former living room of the Shrieking Shack. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll enter first,” Lupin hastily stated, “He may be inclined to listen to reason if he sees a familiar face.”

“Or more likely to blast it off using Potter’s wand,” Severus said, giving Lupin a sneer. “While you may be interested in having Black be captured unharmed, my priority is the boy’s safety.”

“If you two are done, we have a potential hostage situation up there,” One of the Aurors snapped at the professors, bringing the adults back to reality.

Lupin led the group upstairs, wand at the ready, and nearly dropped it when he saw Sirius holding Harry in a headlock with the boy’s wand pointed to his head. Harry looked at Lupin, Severus, and the Aurors quickly filling the room with large, frightened eyes. The boy stood on the tips of his toes due to the headlock and his left hand digging his nails into the worn fabric of Sirius' shirt. None of this looking ideal for any of the parties present.

‘Harry was supposed to be in his club with his friends!’ Lupin hissed in his head. ‘This was supposed to go smoothly and now we have to improvise.’

Of course, Lupin knew Harry was in no danger whatsoever. Sirius and Lupin had this all planned out; Sirius would hide in the Shrieking Shack, Lupin would lead the Aurors to him, and then after some brief negotiations Sirius would willingly go with them to St. Mungo’s for healing and a real trial with evidence clearly showing his innocence. The plan was supposed to be short, sweet, and simple.

Unfortunately, they didn’t take into account that maybe… just _maybe_ Harry would try to get involved. Because of course he would get involve, he's a Slytherin with Gryffindor blood running thicker in his veins than even the Weasleys!

“Let the boy go, Sirius,” Kingsley took a step forward to handle the negotiations. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Sirius’ eyes were wide and pupils small, Lupin had to give him credit for the physical acting. Sirius pointed Harry's wand at Kingsley, “I won’t go back to Azkaban! I’ve waited 12 years to get my hands on Peter Pettigrew, and Harry Potter is the one who has him! He’s the rat the boy carries around! He is coming with me, and he _will_ show me where that rat is!”

Lupin withheld a cringe when Sirius' crazed facade broke only long enough to glance at Harry, who had just let out a whimper. The boy's right foot had slipped and he had to use both hands to grip onto Sirius' arm to keep from losing his footing and possibly bruising his throat. 

“Clearly, you are behind on the news,” Severus hissed, his wand pointed at Sirius and for a moment, Lupin was expecting him to attack. “Everybody knows about Pettigrew now and, mercifully for you, the Ministry wants you back for a re-investigation. Now… Release the boy or this will get messy. I can assure you-” 

Severus took a threat forward, and Lupin’s heart met his stomach. They had also not predicted the possibility of Severus being here.

“-Any damage that may happen to Mr. Potter to get him away from your grasp I can _reverse_. However... not even Dumbledore himself can order me to do the same for you.”

“Isn’t that an interesting concept? You’d hurt Harry to get to me?!” Sirius yelled with a short, albeit, maddening laugh. “Why don’t you run along to the dungeons like the snake you are and bugger off!”

"Give me a reason, I beg of you. I've waited for the day I can finally deal with you and the opportunity has come to me on a silver platter."

"Must have not gotten into any hobbies then to have waited this long! I would have thought you'd taken to making shampoo to make that bog you call hair!"

"Would everyone just calm down?" Kingsley asked.

While Sirius, Severus, and the Aurors played Quidditch with words, Lupin was keeping an eye on Harry. Sirius would never harm the boy,but the heated argument put him at risk of being in the literal middle of any spells being shot. Harry, for the most part, has spent the headlock with his eyes wide with fear, constantly trying to look at either Sirius or Severus. But… for some reason, after Sirius just insulted Severus’ hair, the fear in Harry’s eyes evaporated.

He gave an experimental shift of his shoulders, then his face fell blank. Harry took a glance at his chest then resumed a helpless look, one that reminded Lupin of a look James used to make when he tried to play innocent. Lupin dared himself to not focus on the fact that Kingsley was starting to take control of the conversation to see what Harry realized.

Oh... The basilisk fang.

Lupin wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief for two reasons. The first one was that Harry finally figured out that this was all an act and was willing to play along for their sake. The second was that _because_ Harry knew he was completely safe, neither Sirius nor Lupin had to worry about the boy stabbing Sirius with a fang the size of a dagger that needs an antidote only Severus knew how to make. 

“Sirius,” Lupin finally stepped in, “I promise you as an old friend, they are not here to arrest you. Please… I will _personally_ go with you and let you use my wand if you’ll just come with us willingly.” He slowly walked over, paying attention to everyone's position in the room. Severus shot him a dirty look, but otherwise remained mute. When Lupin was within Sirius' arm length, he held out his wand, pointed at himself to make it look as if he was trying to gain Sirius' trust. 

Sirius blinked once, twice, a third time and his eyes cleared up. He released Harry, dropping his wand in the process so he could take Lupin's. Harry scrambled to grab his wand and briskly walked over to Severus. The Potions Master pulled the boy to his side, one hand holding Harry’s head so he couldn’t look at anything but the man’s black cloak. The other hand, however, still had Severus’ wand pointed at Sirius. Harry quickly shook off the hand to give the Potion’s Master a look, nose scrunched up, and a small frown on his face.

“Come on, the sooner we leave this creepy place the better.” Kingsley motioned to the door with his head and the Aurors flanked Sirius to prevent possible escape. Lupin joined his friend’s side, giving his shoulder an encouraging squeeze while the other man continued to watch Harry and Severus.

“Sir, I’m not hurt. You don’t need to check up on me,” Harry protested as Severus tried, again, to keep the boy close to him like some hen annoyed at her chick. Harry groaned in exasperation as Severus grabbed the boy's jaw and tilted his head back so the professor could examine Harry's reddened neck.

“A month's detention for you, Mr. Potter, for putting yourself in danger _again_ and damaging the Whomping Willow.” 

“Not my fault the school keeps a tree that likes to crush students…”

“Let’s go, Padfoot,” Lupin pulled Sirius along. The Aurors flanked them on either side, but kept their distance for fear of Sirius suddenly going on the attack.

"I hurt... I hurt Harry..." Sirius mumbled, eyes glossing over. He looked at his free hand with something akin to disgust. "His neck... I did that to his neck."

"It wasn't bruised, it was red from irritation. You didn't hurt him."

"He _whimpered_ like a pup that was kicked."

Why does Lupin have such dramatic friends? "He spooked himself because his foot slipped."

"Because I was holding him by his neck! I-I didn't even think, I acted! All I saw was Harry and my first instinct was to keep him quiet!" Sirius whisper-yelled. Lupin double-checked and found the Aurors too deep in their own conversations to pay the two friends any mind. "I'm his godfather and I'm supposed to protect him, not scare him! What if he never trusts me again?"

Lupin did his best to soften his expression and squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "Padfoot, Harry figured it out right away. If he truly thought he was in danger, he would have stabbed you to get away. You can apologize to him when you see him again... perhaps if Harry came to stay with you..."

"Three hugs a day minimum, one in the morning, one at night and one randomly throughout the day."

Well... it was a start in Lupin's opinion. Harry did give off the impression that he was a hugger.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**SIRIUS BLACK FOUND INNOCENT, PETER PETTIGREW WANTED FOR MURDER**

_On November 12th, 1993 in the afternoon, Sirius Black was reportedly found in the abandoned building near the village of Hogsmeade. Aurors, led by Professor Remus Lupin, went into the building and successfully negotiated with Black to surrender without violence. Black was taken into custody and placed in St. Mungo’s care._

_“We should consider ourselves lucky [Lupin] was involved,” Head Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt told the Daily Prophet. “Black had no interest in cooperating and believed we were there to return him to Azkaban.”_

_Minister Cornelius Fudge has worked closely with the Ministry of Magic in the investigation regarding Peter Pettigrew. Much of it is confidential but what has been reported is that Pettigrew did indeed cause the explosion that killed those twelve muggles thirteen years ago, and sold information regarding James and Lily Potter to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Pettigrew is now wanted for murder, treason, and being an unregistered Animagus with refusal to register his characteristics. More charges may arise as the investigation continues._

_Pettigrew’s Animagus form is a brown garden rat, identifiable by the missing toe on his right front foot. He was last seen unarmed, but the Ministry words strong cautions about approaching Pettigrew, claiming potential danger._

_As of Tuesday, November 16th, Sirius Black was cleared of all charges. Black is currently undergoing intensive care to reverse the damages caused in Azkaban under heavy protection guard. An anonymous source informed the Daily Prophet that members of the Ministry are planning to appeal to the court to permit Black have guardian custody of Harry Potter, should he make a full recovery. Hogwarts has declined to let Harry Potter give a statement to the Daily Prophet on the subject matter at the present time._

_More information coming soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirius is free! Short, sweet, and simple. There's no reason to drag it out since it's a pretty simple case. Fun thing, when I had Harry use Reducto on the Whomping Willow, the minute Harry realizes there was a better solution was... well... it was when I remembered the Immobulus spell existed. Kinda funny how things like that work.
> 
> I would like to politely request that, while amusing on youtube, that you lovely people please refrain from copy-pasting the entirety of the Fitness Gram Pacer Test speech and putting it as your comment. I will delete it as spam without a second warning. If you wanna share your experience with the Pacer Test, go nuts, but besides that or if you're quoting the chapter, please don't make me scroll through your whole comment hoping to find your actual thoughts. Thank you. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Harry’s POV**

“Oi, Harry, where’s your dog?” Blaise asked me the day Sirius was taken into custody by the Ministry. “He’s usually with you all day.”

“Well-” I paused to squeeze my head through the opening of my pajama shirt. “Phew~. Anyway, he wasn’t eating well while here, so I lent him to Professor Lupin. He has family who own a farm and I think Phantom would appreciate having roaming space over the castle.”

“Bummer, the bloke was the first dog I actually didn’t mind being around,” Blaise responded, falling backwards into his bed then proceeding to mimic and inchworm and scoot to his intended spot.

“What is your deal with dogs anyway, Blaise?” Draco called out from our shared bathroom. He stepped out and placed a hand on his hip. “Might as well share.”

Blaise let out a huff, refusing to look at either of us. “Dogs have never taken a strong liking to me. One time when I was a kid, a muggle’s dog snarled and tried to jump at me with the intent of biting me. My dad, my birth dad, cast a curse on the dog and its owner, so the Aurors had to get involved and erase the muggle’s memories. I’ve… always been nervous around larger dogs, even if I know not all dogs are bad.”

“Wait, seriously?” My eyes widened, “I’m so sorry about Phantom then, I know he kept trying to get in your space and-”

“Nah, mate,” Blaise interrupted me. “I figured out by the first night that he wasn’t like _that_ dog. His size was intimidating, but the number of times I saw you and all of the girls using him as a glorified pillow I got used to him being around. Doesn’t stop me from not wanting to be near him, but you didn’t cause me discomfort, honest.”

My shoulders slumped and I scanned Blaise’s face for any lies. There weren’t any, but even then… I should have asked, or prepared sleeping arrangements so Phantom wasn’t in the same room as us. I just acted on my own selfish thoughts and scared Blaise.

“Still…”

“Look, if you want to make it up to me then when you’re finally able to go to Hogsmeade just treat me to some butterbeer,” Blaise said while sitting up, a small frown on his face and his brow scrunched. “Stop looking like you committed some kind of crime. You’d be surprised how many people here at this school are allergic to cats but are forced to deal with it because the school allows them.”

“Crabbes’ allergic,” Draco supplied randomly. “Professor Snape made sure he and Goyle didn’t share a dorm with a cat owner, but he can’t be around the fur. Makes him itchy.”

“I do _not_ want to know where you got this information, Draco.” I buried myself under my covers as the lights go off, putting us all in pitch darkness. “The next time I try to bring an animal into the dorm as a pet, do tell me ahead of time if that’s a bad idea.”

“Just make sure they’re not an Animagus next time. Thank Merlin you kept that cage covered,” Blaise finished his part of the conversation with that comment. I heard Draco shiver while making several various noises of disgust followed by the shuffling of his bedsheets.

“Yeah… I agree…” I pulled the covers over my head and turned to my side, tucking my legs closer to my body. I already miss having something laying next to me...

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I left Snape’s office with an unintentional slamming of the door, too preoccupied with rubbing my forehead. I was able to block one of his _Legilimency_ spells but, according to him, I still rely too much on redirecting rather than building up shields. I think Snape called off the lesson early after discovering one of my blocking methods was just a wall of text that said “Don’t think about it” repeated over and over again.

Worst detention ever.

‘Maybe Madam Pomfrey has something for a headache-’ “OW!” I rubbed my face as I had smacked into a wall by prematurely turning a corner. “That happens way more often than I’d like…”

“Perhaps a helmet would be needed?” I swirl around -not helping my headache at all- to see Lupin. He was chuckling at my display of clumsiness then walked over to me. Hesitantly, he brushed my bangs out of my face and stared at my forehead, and, for a brief moment, I thought he was looking at my scar. “Well your forehead is a little red from the impact but I don’t think you’ll bruise.”

The thought died as he refixed my hair back to where it was. Of course, how stupid of me to even consider Lupin to be interested in my scar.

“I came here to ask if you wanted to start learning the _Patronus_ charm,” Lupin said while changing the subject smoothly.

I blinked. “Patro…? Oh! Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” I coughed, clearing my throat a little. “Lead the way, sir.”

I followed Lupin to his office, already used to seeing the Grindylow in its tank and other magical creatures that acted far more behaved than Lockhart’s pixies. In the corner of the room was the cabinet containing the Boggart, the door shut tightly.

“We’re… not going to be using a Boggart, right?” I inched away from the cabinet, trying to appear calm by shoving my hands in my pockets rather than fidget with my fingers. 

“No. This will make this lesson somewhat more difficult,” Lupin answered briefly, eyeing the cabinet for a moment then returned to looking at me. “You’ll be learning how to use the Patronus charm without a Dementor or copy-cat involved. It’ll be tough because there will be nothing for you to aim the spell at. Watch.”

Lupin swished his wand, quietly murmuring the spell’s name, and a dome-like barrier covered half of his body. I approached the shield, putting my hand on it. My hand went through easily, but the shield felt like a calming stream of water, no pressure to be felt, and it had a sense of… I dunno, happiness? It… didn’t feel like it was _my_ happiness, nothing I could want to have for myself, it felt like… like I was living what Lupin was feeling.

“Saw my wand movements?” He asks me which I return with a nod. “Excellent. Now, to cast the charm you need to be thinking of a happy memory. The stronger the memory, the better the spell will perform and create a better shield for you. If your memory is powerful enough, your Patronus may even take on the form of an animal, called a Corporeal Patronus. It is believed that whatever animal your Patronus is, it reflects your spirit... but from what I’ve learned it’s more based on your memories.”

“So… I just… think of a memory?” I glance down at my wand and take a slow breath. “Okay then…”

I closed my eyes to picture a good memory, hard to actually come up with one on the spot. I began to visualize Madam Malkin’s shop, I’m running towards Draco and readying to slam my hand over his mouth to tell him I would be his friend-

“ _Expecto Patronum…”_

Silvery wisps slowly start to float out of my wand and my memory continued. It jumps to Hogwarts, we’re having our first dinner together and I meet the people who would soon become-

“ _Concentrate. Conceal your mind._ ”

The wisps vanish as Snape’s voice cuts off my thoughts. My headache increases in volume, a pounding in my head, and I took a glance around the room but only saw Lupin sitting on some stairs, watching me with interest.

“That was a good start. The memory might need to be stronger,” Lupin suggested, resting his arms across his legs. “Try again, Harry.”

“Okay… _Expecto Patronum…_ ” I wave my wand again and focus on a different memory. The day I found Sirius and the first night he stayed with me. How Sansa took to him with jealousy and trust, insisting she slept as close to me as possible. How Sirius took his acting skills as a dog to a whole new level and continued to act docile and chill even as my aunt screamed-

“ _Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. DON’T THINK ABOUT IT!_ ”

The spell cut off just as the wisps were beginning to take the form of a bubble by my head. I covered my face with my hands, groaning as white noise started to rush into my ears and my whole head was throbbing with pain. The room began to spin and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, looking up at the concerned face of Lupin.

“Harry? Harry, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m used to my head hurting… It’s a yearly occurrence…” My voice was barely over a mumble. Lupin picks up one of my hands and places some chocolate in it, helping me sit up with a hand on my back to keep my balance. “Thanks…”

“Want to tell me why you fainted?” Lupin waited patiently, nudging my chocolate-holding hand closer to my mouth so I would eat the candy. “Eat the chocolate, the sugar should help.”

I take slow nibbles, trying to make sure I can swallow the chocolate before making any commitments to eating it. “Professor Snape is uh… well, he’s teaching me Occlumency.”

“Oh is he? Well, I’m impressed, that’s advanced magic right there.”

“Yeah, he wants to help me protect my mind from… you know, Voldemort.” I tap my forehead where my scar laid hidden under my bangs. “I just left his lesson and I had a massive headache. But you asked and…”

“You didn’t want to say no,” Lupin finished for me. “What strategies has he been using for you? What are the lessons like?”

“Professor Snape just casts the spell and tells me to block him,” I answered rather dumbly.

“Does he focus on one particular memory?” Lupin pressed for more information. “Gives you any advice?”

“No…” I shrunk slightly.

Lupin rolled his eyes with a smile. “Of course Severus would take the more forward approach to the lessons. His teaching style might be what’s keeping you from producing a Patronus, it’s making you not want to think about memories or happy thoughts.”

Oh great. Maybe I should have confessed the truth to Snape _after_ Lupin taught me the charm.

I just feel my body slack in defeat. Lupin gives my back a gentle pat so I return my focus on him. “Why don’t I try to help you learn Occlumency?”

“You know how to build up shields?” I tilted my head. This was never brought up in the books or movies before, but with him being a werewolf it would make sense to block out invaders from learning his secrets. This might work.

“Learning how to build shields was important during the Wizarding War. Most witches and wizards that fought in it have developed some semblance of protection.”

“... All right, let’s try it.” Wincing under Lupin’s stern gaze, I gave him a sheepish smile “After some rest?”

“Good,” Lupin pushed himself up and walked to his desk. A cup of water soon floated by my head, hovering within reach. I gladly took it, downing it in two gulps then laid flat on the wooden flooring. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but remaining still felt pleasant and Lupin didn’t bother trying to talk about anything while I rested. 

Based on the clock, I had laid there for fifteen minutes before I decided to see how my body would react sitting up. My back protested because of the change but after sitting still for a minute. I slowly tilting my head from side to side followed by a loud neck _crack_ , I came to the reasonable conclusion that standing up was a good idea.

“Come over here when your legs are working, Harry,” Lupin said from his desk, nose buried in… Okay, I’m either going mad or that’s Hermione’s copy of _The Magician’s Nephew_. He put the book away when I sat down. “I am going to work with you in learning how to block a single memory. You don’t need to block your entire mind from the very beginning, but instead, learn to block when it’s needed.”

“Y-yeah, sure.” On the inside, I felt like I could vomit right then and there. There are so many ways this could go wrong and every single one of them could and would get ugly.

“Just try to block me the same way you do with Professor Snape and we can work from there,” Lupin waved his wand. “We will be using the memory from dinner yesterday.”

He casted the spell and my mind went to yesterday evening. I was in the middle of arguing with Blaise on whether butter should be used for vegetables or not and Pansy was just about to jump in-

“ _I~ know you~ I walked with you once, upon a dream~”_

Lupin cut the spell short, looking wholeheartedly amused. “Well now, no wonder Professor Snape has been irritable as of lately.” He pressed the side of his fist against his lips, shoulders shaking as he let out a chuckle. “Redirection… It works if you have a fixed thought in mind. Based on how quickly you cut the memory short, you’re better at redirecting than actually blocking.”

“Mhm… Professor Snape wants me to learn full blocking though.”

“Well, I can’t imagine why. It’s not like you have information that Voldemort would be rushing to get his hands on.” Oh, Lupin… if only you knew. “Hmm… let’s see… Why don’t you imagine a door.”

“A door?” I parrotted back.

“Exactly. You’re a visual learner, I can tell that if you can picture it in your head you’ll learn it rather quickly. So, picture your mind as your bedroom,” Lupin took out some parchment and a quill and drew a crude square. “Your memories…”

He draws a box in the center of the square.

“Are like your personal items. Now, redirection is perfectly fine, but mistakes can happen,” Lupin draws arrows around the room, one of them does multiple loops before it lands on the box. “Someone can find your items. Instead, you want to throw the intruder out and keep them out, permanently.” He then sketches a 3D rectangle at one of the sides of the outer walls. “Keep their friends out too.”

“So… I…” I think about this for a moment. “Picture Professor Snape or Voldemort… as my cousin Dudley?”

_That’s_ an odd image.

“Well…” Lupin’s voice shook with mirth. “If that helps block things out. Then yes. Imagine you are slamming a heavy, locked door in your cousin’s face.”

… I could live with this image.

“Let’s try this again, same memory just try to picture you are closing a door on it.”

Lupin casted the spell again and the memory began to resurface once more in my head. I was in the middle of arguing with Blaise on whether butter-

_SLAM_

“OW! Son of Zeus’ impulses, my neck!” I wrapped my hands around my throat, pressing my fingertips into my spine and my pinkies behind my ears right by the lobes. My muscles groaned and ached from the sharp head turn I just did. For some ungodly reason, I decided the best way to imagine a door being slammed -which _did_ succeed- was to turn my head to the side like I _was_ the door!

“That was unorthodox, but you did better than I expected.” Lupin patted my back as he attempted to give me words of encouragement. I don’t know what expression he had, mostly because my eyes were screwed shut.

“Yeah… I did not expect my body to physically act out the visual but it did…” I slowly bowed, pressing my forehead to my knees while I continued to massage my neck. “I think I pulled something.”

“I have to agree on that, here.” Lupin casted a spell and I soon felt something cold touch my neck. “Don’t worry, it’s an ice pack. We don’t need to use magic for every little ache and pain when the muggle remedies work just as well.”

“Speaking my language…” I took the pack, keeping it pressed against my neck while the cold soothed my muscles. Magic is convenient, but there is something about the slow process of using heat or cold packs, soaking in a specialized bath, or just exercising that feels satisfying. 

Lupin chuckled. “Alright, you’d better run off before your friends start wondering where you are. When you’re comfortable with casting the _Patronus_ charm again, give it a shot.”

“I can do that…” I stood up, still keeping the pack to my neck. “Thank you… for… everything.”

“You’re welcome, now…” He made a teasing shooing motion with his hands and I left the room, thinking about ways to create mental blocks without throwing my neck out again.

… I _really_ need to take a light-year next year. Too many spells and it’s not even Christmas!

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**Side story #2 Dementors**

The Dementors are being removed from Hogwarts next week.

This news is why I’m in the Restricted Section on the library, a note giving me access written by Professor Binns. Amazingly, no one has ever taken advantage of the fact that all you have to do is stay away for a class and engage. He’ll sign anything you put in front of him if you time it right. Even more amazing was the fact that Madam Pince accepted the signature with only a raised brow.

On the little desk that I’m sitting at are two books, some parchment, and my quill. The two books were fascinating, to say the least. Neither had authors but they held information that I desperately needed.

_History of Spell-making and its Practices_ and the book _Dementors, Demons, and Other Dark Creatures._

This was going to be dangerous, especially since Luna’s mum died because she tried inventing a spell. But my pride demanded that I do something in case the Patronus charm continues to fail on me.

Besides… I wanted to be the first person to ever kill a Dementor.

“To create a spell…” I mumble to myself while reading. “One must understand what they are creating… and channel their magic to do so… Huh, so spells are just to help you focus.” Well, that’s a stupid thought, Harry. Wordless magic exists for a reason.

I glanced at the other book, rereading about Dementors. Honestly, these creatures are confusing. They feed on happiness, yet the spell that is used to block them is created through happiness… why don’t they just eat the shield then?

I leaned back in the chair with a sigh, taking a glance at a clock which made me realize I’ve had my butt in this chair for the last two hours. No wonder I’m getting antsy. I took my quill and jotted down some last-minute notes, returning the books to their rightful place, leaving the library. 

Dementors want happiness? I'll give them so much happiness they're bound to just... burst with glee!

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

Three days later, I had an idea. It was stupid. I hate that I thought about it, but it’s the only thing that came to mind that made any form of sense so… might as well.

This is what I used to convince myself to keep going as I walked towards a Dementor. The air got colder, a thin layer of frost crunching under my feet, and my insides feeling like ice as I got closer to the flying, skeletal creature of depression and despair. It’s been getting colder lately, with December just around the corner and the sky showing signs of snow. A small part of me wanted to turn around. Turn around and never even try experimenting with magic because of all of the horrible consequences that may arise if things don’t work.

And there were only two options, either the spell works… or I’m dead meat.

The Dementor noticed me, slowly floating towards me and I felt happiness slowly being drained from my body leaving a sense of… overwhelming sadness. I raised my free hand and gave myself a hardy slap, knocking my senses into me. I moved quickly, resting my wand hand at my naval, the wand itself pointed to the side. Then, in a motion that felt like a childhood I had lost, I flung my hand out so the wand was pointed at the Dementor. I moved my hand as if the wand was a paintbrush… and I was drawing a heart in the sky.

I felt laughter bubbling in my chest, warming my body against the cold of the creature’s aura. I chuckled out the spell with only a single thought coming to my mind.

‘This is so _stupid_.’

“ _Curam Ursus Obtutus_.”

I wasn't sure if it was because I was laughing while casting the spell or some diety out there took pity on my idiotic self, but my wand glowed. A soft pink mist slowly formed from my wand, building up until it formed a heart the size of those large Valentine’s Day chocolate boxes. The Dementor stopped flying and began to back away from the heart, letting out a bone-shattering screech. I flicked my hand and the heart shot at the Dementor, quick as a bullet -a sharp contrast to how it started- and slammed into the creature.

The Dementor screamed and my ears rang. I watched in fascination as it began to dissolve, being consumed by the mist left by the heart. It kept on screaming and screaming, clawing at its skin and it writhed in pain. It landed on the ground, freezing the grass under it.

And then… everything was silent.

The mist parted to reveal… nothing. There was no Dementor, no cloak, nothing. In fact, the grass was starting to thaw out. Out of curiosity, I reached out and touched the slowly evaporating mist. To my surprise, it was like touching cotton candy and a test sniff also supported that thought.

The mist vanished and I was left there staring at the grass where the Dementor once was. I didn’t move. I was rooted on the spot.

And then my brain decided to talk.

I just killed a Dementor… with what was basically a deadlier version of the Care Bear Stare. I just Care Bear Stared a Dementor to death.

I sunk to the ground, pressing my face to my knees and wrapped my arms around my legs, groaning. I grabbed the hood of my robes and threw it over my head so I could hide, all of the blood rushing to my face and warming it up. That was so… so _stupid._ Can I just hide somewhere and never interact with anyone ever again, please?

“That was quite the interesting spell, Harry,” Dumbledore’s voice -slightly muffled due to my arms covering my ears- came from a few feet away from me.

“Harry Potter can not attend the meeting right now,” I stated robotically. “He is suffering from an acute level of embarrassment.”

“Very well, I shall wait for Harry Potter to recover then.” I heard shuffling of robes and a sigh as Dumbledore took a seat on one of the hallways’ benches. He didn’t say anything while I wallowed in the fact that I invented a spell based on the Care Bears… Merlin, what’s next? I make a spell that lets me talk to animals while I sing- okay, mind. Stop. You’re embarrassing yourself even more. 

I lifted my head up, taking a deep breath, and letting the chilly air cool down my face. Dumbledore was sitting, patiently waiting while looking at nothing in particular but I think he’s cloud watching. 

He looked at me when I pushed myself back up to my feet. “You’ve been keeping yourself busy these past few months, Harry.”

Wait, what does he know? “Sir, I-”

He held up a hand and I stood there with my mouth hanging open. “I’m aware that you worked with Professor Lupin to clear up Sirius Black’s name. I’ve been in contact with Sirius and he told me about the map, how you used it to reveal Peter. Remind me to give Gryffindor some points for Fred and George Weasley’s generosity… but we’re not here to talk about that.” He pushed himself up. “The spell, what inspired you to invent it?”

“Um… I’ve been wanting to learn how to kill Dementors since one attacked me on the train. You know…” I make a vague motion with my hand. “Keep up my streak of killing a dangerous creature every year.”

“And you succeeded, congratulations, Harry. However, magic is not something to be trifled with. You could have hurt yourself if that spell failed… but danger has never been something to scare you, has it?”

“Not being afraid of danger is suicide in itself, sir,” I responded, squaring my shoulders. “I’m always scared. I just push myself to go beyond the security of safety.”

“Very good. Now... Tell me what your spell is based on, the Latin is rather unique even for some hexes and jinxes you and your classmates cast.”

“Oh uh…” I pulled my ponytail over my shoulder, pocketing my wand and running my fingers through the length of my hair. I occasionally paused the motion to undo a knot. “One day when I was little my aunt and uncle took Dudley, my cousin, to a restaurant for dinner. I snuck out of my cupboard and turned on the telly. It was playing the Care Bears Movie… Care Bears are kind of these… um… magical bears that make people happy through friendship. They use the pattern on their bellies to erase darkness and evil by shooting a… friendship laser. So uh…”

Merlin, this sounds dumber the more I tried to explain it. I must look like a complete dunderhead right now.

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “The best ideas come from those that evolve what has already been thought. Though, I suppose the Ministry is not going to find the idea of this spell existing pleasant.”

“No… I wouldn’t think so. They might think I’m trying to cause a break-out for Azkaban.”

“Keeping others ignorant does not stay around for long, people find out eventually… but eventually does not necessarily mean today.” Dumbledore gave me a kind smile and began to walk off. “I suggest not showing the spell off unless it is a matter of life or death.”

“Whose death, Sir?”

Dumbledore never responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw shoot I forgot the end notes. Sorry, rough morning and didn't sleep well the previous night for some reason.
> 
> Harry's new spell literally translates to "Care Bear Stare" in Latin (individually, google gets weird if you translate the whole thing). I actually own Care Bears and when I was trying to think about something so disgustingly happy and sweet it could kill a Dementor... I kinda turned to the side and Tenderheart Bear was sorta staring into the depths of my soul.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas time again!

When Christmas break rolled around, I was on the train with the Weasley siblings to go to the Burrow for the holidays. Molly requested that I join her children since I have yet spent the holidays with them and of course, I wasn’t going to say no! I also wanted to make sure Arthur was all right. Lupin had told me that he took the news about Pettigrew rather… poorly to say the least.

I don’t blame him. If I was a parent I would have strangled Pettigrew, magic, or no magic. 

We arrived at the Burrow with no issues, luckily, with Molly being the one to pick us up. 

“Harry dear, you stay in Ron’s room, okay?” Molly said with a kind smile, though sending her twin sons a sharp look when they groaned in unison. “You two cause enough trouble as it is, I don’t want to know what would happen if I let the three of you room! I hear enough from Ginny's letters!”

“He can stay in my room, mum,” Ginny said while letting Sansa preen her hair, causing the girl to giggle. “Ron snores and I don’t mind.”

I blinked. “Wait- huh? Ginny, no, I’m a boy, that’s improper.” I twisted my head to look at Molly- why does she look _completely_ calm?!

“Hm…?” Molly suddenly blinked, coughing lightly, and adjusted her apron. “Oh yes, you are absolutely right, Harry. Ginny? Harry can not stay in your room, even if you two were to suddenly start dating-”

Ginny and I gag, hers more vocal than mine.

“- Don’t be rude. Either way, boys stay with boys and girls stay with girls. Besides, we have Hermione staying with us for Christmas, and I don’t think she would be comfortable sharing a room with a boy.”

“I doubt Hermione cares- Why am I defending this? Come on, Ron.” I grabbed the now snickering Weasley by his collar and dragged him up the stairs to where I remember his room being. “I didn’t know Hermione’s staying for Christmas.”

“If you sat with us during breakfasts you would have heard about it, but I think Hermione wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well, I’m surprised all right. Won’t her parents be disappointed that she’s not spending Christmas with them?” I pulled my Christmas presents -ordered from Hogsmeade’s shops- out of my bag and set them in the empty trunk at the foot of my bed.

Ron flopped onto his bed, shoes on and all, “Her parents are going to France for the holiday with some relatives. They’ll all be here Christmas eve for dinner then… How do muggles travel to other places? They don’t have brooms or portkeys to use.”

Are… we that far out in the countryside? “They use airplanes.” Cue Ron raising his eyebrow to his hairline. “They’re like big metal tubes with wings, they burn fuel to fly and weigh more than an elephant.”

“How do they get them in the air?” Ron’s mouth hung open in bewilderment as he rolled onto his stomach to fully look at me. “I heard dad mention planes before but… They don’t make sense at all.”

“Dunno,” I shrugged, moving my ponytail over my shoulder so I didn't yank on my scalp as I laid on my bed. “It’s not like they’re teaching muggle science at Hogwarts. And no, Ron,” I twisted my neck so I could look at him, his mouth hanging open as if to say something. “Muggle Studies does not delve into the physics of airplanes, it’s more about muggle culture.”

“Bummer… Wanna play Exploding Snaps until dinner?”

“Why not, I’ll open a window.”

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Harry!” Hermione rushed over to me and threw her arms around my neck in a hug. I heard her give a couple sniffs then gently pushed me away at arm's length. “You smell like… smoke?”

“Exploding Snaps.”

“That’s what I was smelling,” She mused to herself then turned her head back to her parents, John was carrying a large, red velvet Christmas sack that bulged out with sharp right angles. Gotta be presents. Jean was holding a wide, dish plate wrapped in aluminium foil and standing next to two glass bottles of wine, which Hermione was carrying before she came to hug me.

“Oh, I’m so glad you found the house! Come in, come in!” Molly beckoned the Granger parents inside, taking the dish from Jean and marveling at the aluminium foil. “This is useful, better than using spells to preserve the food, always leaves an odd tangy taste afterwards. You didn’t have to bring anything, dears.”

“We wanted to,” Jean followed Molly into the kitchen with the wine. “John and I thought you and Arthur would like these wines, they’re-”

I tuned out the adult talk as I was never interested in wine besides the making process and the cool company logos. I led Hermione to the living room where the Weasley siblings were waiting for us. “You’ll be staying in Ginny’s room.” I leaned close to Hermione to whisper in her ear. “Ginny tried to convince her mum to let me stay in her room instead of Ron’s.”

Hermione blinked once, twice, three times. She looked at Ginny, then back to me. “It’s not like that would have bothered me.”

A choking sound echoed in the room- oh wait, that’s me. “ _Hermione!_ ”

The girls laughed and Hermione joined Ginny, both of them looking up at me with amusement.

Then suddenly, Ginny, out of nowhere, stopped laughing and eyed me for a moment. She then whispered something to Hermione and she too, stopped laughing. Hermione’s lips pinched together, and her eyes squinted ever so slightly. While the boys were having another round of Exploding Snaps, I’m being stared down by the two scariest girls in my life.

“I never noticed that before…” Hermione murmured, barely loud enough for me to hear.

‘Is there something on my face?’ I reached up and touched my face. Well, I don’t feel any unusual warmth on my cheeks, and there aren’t any zits from what I’m feeling. My bangs are in place and my hair is tied back in a periwinkle ribbon. Nothing out of the ordinary. So why am I being stared at?

I quickly joined in the boy’s game while the girls continued to speak in their language. It has got to be something about my face otherwise Hermione wouldn’t be touching hers so often, that girl _never_ touches her face. Ginny? Sure, she's always touching her face and her hair, but Hermione touching her hair was like a kid who's allergic to peanuts gorging on a peanut butter cup; It doesn't happen.

Things returned to normal by the time dinner rolled around.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

There were voices downstairs.

That was what caused me to open my eyes before the sun on Christmas morning. Ron was still snoring away, occasionally mumbling things about food or something of that nature. But muffled through the layers of aged wood of the Burrow’s structures, people were talking and it was apparently important enough that it has to be talked about at… I dunno… five in the morning? The Weasley household was oddly sparse in their usage of clocks.

Carefully climbing out of the creaky bed, I slipped on a pair of green socks. While questioning if my green apparel has taken a step too far, I snuck out of the bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs. Halfway down the stairs, I crouched down to eavesdrop. The next few steps are noisy and the last thing I need to do is alert people of my presence. I also tucked my basilisk fang necklace under my shirt to minimize the risk of it clinking against something.

“Molly, I’m just as upset as you are, but we need to keep our spirits high for the children,” I heard Arthur’s voice from the kitchen. “The Ministry is doing everything they can to find Pettigrew and Hogwarts is protected.”

“Well, if the Ministry is so good at their job why haven’t they _found him yet?!_ ” Molly softly screeched and I thank the universe for not putting me in Arthur’s shoes right now. 

“Molly, dear. The children are safe now-”

“ _He was in the children’s rooms and stayed there most of their lives!_ They’re unharmed. I thank the stars for that, but what if Harry had let him roam free in his room? What if Harry didn’t have that owl of his?!” She let out a shaky huff, like she had been crying mere hours prior. "I've lost sleep these last weeks just thinking about the worst. That... that man- our children weren't in danger, but Harry... If he didn't have that bird..."

I quietly stood up and stepped on one of the creaking stairs, causing Molly and Arthur to go painfully silent. A yawn bubbled in my chest -it _was_ still dark out- and it finally escaped me at the bottom of the stairs, stretching my jaw and halting any breathing for a few seconds.

“Why are you up so early, dearie?” Molly asked as she quickly went back into her mother hen mode. “I almost didn’t recognize you with your hair down.”

“Huh…?” I yawned out then touched the back of my head. My fingers pinched a clump of my hair, slowly pulling it forward so I could see the long, inky black strands. She had a very good point. The only people that ever get to see my hair down have just been Draco, Blaise, Madam Pomfrey, and Sirius and that’s only because it’s gotten so long that if I didn’t tie it back, my hair would get in the way. “I just woke up and I can’t fall back asleep… dunno why.”

That’s a total lie. Their sofa is looking mighty comfy right now and I’m willing to sleep standing if need be.

Arthur and Molly exchanged looks. Molly went to the kitchen’s cooking area and started making something on the stove while Arthur placed a hand on my shoulder, gently leading me to the table. 

“Harry… we want to know how you are doing,” Arthur was speaking in an unusually soft tone compared to his typical high-energy aura. He was also keeping eye contact with me, another weird trait as his eyes always seemed to reflect how his brain was working, continuously moving.

“Um… I’m doing…” I took a glance around the room to confirm that no one else was around. Good. No Dumbledore to be seen. “Fine?”

“Yes, we know that. But I-... Harry, I’m talking about Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black.”

“Oh! I am doing fine, honest. I was never hurt and Sansa made sure of that. Besides, this year is tamed compared to last year where I had to kill a basilisk, and the year prior where… a teacher tried to kill me… this year has been…”

I rested my arms on the table and placed my chin on them. “I want a normal year…”

“If Dumbledore knows what’s good for him he’ll keep the rest of the school year peaceful,” Molly chimed in, placing a steaming mug in front of me. “Some warm milk and honey should put you back to bed until morning.”

“Thanks?” I eyed the drink then back at the adults. Why do adults insist on asking how we are doing when the answer will always be “fine”? Even in my former life, I remember answering with “fine” and would keep it at that unless the topic gave me the opportunity to open up. Well… I can’t blame them for trying to connect, I just don’t want to talk to them about what’s on my mind.

“Of course you don’t have to go to bed if you don’t feel like it,” Arthur quickly elaborated, wincing at the look Molly was, without a doubt, giving him over my head. “After all, there’s no rule for Christmas saying you have to sleep in until everyone else decides to wake up.”

I hummed in agreement, taking a sip of the warm milk. There was some cinnamon mixed in too, yummy!

Molly let out a harmless huff and ushered me to their sofa, covering my legs with a knitted blanket and waved her wand at my cup. “If you’re going to be up, I want you to be comfy while doing so young man.” She blinked once. “The cup’s been spelled to not spill if you fall asleep.”

Translation: I am doing everything in my motherly powers to make you go back to sleep.

‘Challenge accepted, Molly.’

And I won. For three hours, Molly would continuously check up on me to see if I had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, she only found that I finished my drink, fixed some ornaments that threatened to fall, fed Sansa a partridge as her Christmas meal, read the _Daily Prophet,_ and was midway making a batch peppermint hot chocolate truffles when the first kid woke up. The irony of it all, it was only fifteen to eight in the morning, and that child was Hermione.

“Good morning, Mrs. Weasley, Harry! Merry Christmas!” Hermione poked her head over my shoulders, looking at my creations. “What is this?”

“Truffles with peppermint for hot chocolate. Wanna make some with me?” Hermione nodded vigorously. “Excellent! Wash your hands and I’ll show you how to make them!”

Ginny was the next person to wake up, mere minutes after Hermione. When she saw what we were making and after a brief explanation of what these sweets were, jumped in. Molly was drowning a cup of coffee and gave up the second she had seen Hermione. Arthur vanished sometime after I stayed awake for thirty minutes and was probably either asleep or tinkering.

“I think we made too many,” I commented after looking at the three dozen truffles, all spread out across two baking sheets over cooking parchment paper that Hermione’s parents brought over. We transferred our work to the corner of the kitchen so Molly could make breakfast.

“We made enough for several cups and enough for Hermione to take home to her parents,” Ginny reasoned. Checking over her shoulder as her brothers began to slowly make their way into the kitchen. “Mum? Could we heat up some milk for everyone to have a cup?”

Molly came over and examined our work. Some of the truffles were bigger than the others, some were smaller, one had a large chunk of peppermint that didn’t get crushed properly. Her eyes light up in excitement. “I don’t see why not. I made sure to have extra for Christmas.”

Once the hot cocoa was made -some instructions were needed, no Ron you do not eat the truffle straight- and breakfast was consumed, we traveled to the living room where the stacks of presents were. Within minutes we all had on our Weasley sweaters, Hermione sporting a flattering dark blue sweater with sparkles threaded in the stitches and I was in emerald green with more snakes than I cared to count. 

The presents that were swapped were cute. I got Fred and George ingredients to make slime with instructions on how to make it and they were incredibly interested in the pranking possibilities that came with the substances. Hermione and I swapped books, and another present of note was Hermione and I collaborating to get Arthur a beginner's kit for electronics. That man’s eyes lit up more than the Christmas tree beside him while his wife lovingly rolled her eyes.

I glanced up just in time to see Ron open up a gift wrapped in a light purple paper. His ears turned bright red as he held a boxed… teacup? He also produced a tin of vanilla black tea leaves.

“Who’s that from, Ron?” I questioned, resting my elbows on my knees. I waved a dismissive hand at Hermione as she tried to get me to open one of my presents. 

“It’s uh from…” He quickly put the cup and tea in the packaging and moves it to the safety of his mum, away from the twins. “From Lavender.”

“Really? You two are hanging out more?”

“She’s been helping me get this whole… Divination stuff, better than how the professor has been teaching the class. At least she doesn’t predict my untimely death every other week” Ron scratched the back of his neck, face turning a new shade of red when Molly ran a hand through his hair fondly. “Mum and dad helped me pick a thank you gift for her and well… she sent me that.”

“Looks like you might have yourself a lady friend~” I cooed, rolling my eyes with a smile. “I’m teasing, by the way, mate. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with Lavender, she’s a sweet girl. Just a bit high energy when put in the right mood.”

Ron nodded, glancing back at the package with a smile hidden behind him chewing on his lips. I returned my attention to my presents… I will admit; the multiples of same-sized boxes were concerning to me- why are Fred and George laughing?

I opened one of the boxes and-

“‘Dove Daily Moisturizer shampoo and conditioner for normal, dry hair’ what…” Hermione started giggling while I opened each box and read the concerning amount of products. “‘Tropical Sunset’, ‘Apple Cider’, ‘Rejuvenating Green Tea’-...”

I picked up what was, without a doubt, from Fred and George.

“‘Cruxon’s Glow in the Dark Shampoo’,” I reached down and picked up the sister bottle, “and conditioner. ‘Color change depending on the length of washing, no toxic material used, pet friendly-’ I’m so confused.”

“We-” Hermione covered her mouth as she giggled. “My idea. Since you often show the most pride in the care of your hair, we wanted to give you options.” She tapped the Dove set. “That one’s is my set. Mum recommended it because of the neutral smell and… sensitive scalps run in the family.”

“... Well, I like it!” I chripped with a “welp” style shrug. This was honestly a pretty cool gift idea and gives me the chance to figure out if I’m allergic to any kinds of hair products. Up until now, I’ve either used the shampoo and conditioners provided by the school plus occasionally stealing Draco’s. Be kind of fun to work with smells- I wonder if these will translate to my Animagus form?

I began to eye the glow-in-the-dark set with interest… yes… some experimenting will be required.

“While everyone is opening gifts, Harry?” Molly said to me, standing up and motioning to the kitchen. “There is something special for you in there.”

Confused, I got up and followed her to the kitchen. Looking over my shoulder, I got collective shrugs from everyone but Percy, who was too busy admiring a textbook Hermione had gotten him out of politeness.

“Now, I’m sure this is a delicate subject, but…” Molly went to a cupboard, one that I never remembered her touching the entirety of the morning. When she turned to face me, she was holding a flat object, roughly the width of her shoulder and about half as long, wrapped in brown parchment. “Through some letters, Narcissa and I agreed that this was something we would collaborate in for you.”

She laid the parchment before me on the table, smoothly sliding her hands from under it like she was worried that she might wrinkle it.

I glanced at Molly. Her eyes slowly reddening and her hands fidgeting, her whole body like a wound-up coil. I turned the package over and opened the seam of the wrapping parchment, parting it to find the back of some papers. Some of it was parchment and the other was heavy printer paper, the kind you would use in resumes and legal documentations.

I flipped them over.

**_Certification of Adoption_ **

**_This is to certify that Harry James Potter has been formally adopted into the Ancient and Noble House of Black by Sirius Black III on this day of ___ Day of _____ **

The parchment paper was stamped with the Ministry of Magic’s seal, signed in everything but date and signatures. I quickly scanned the other papers. There were two adoption certificates, one muggle the other magical, and the other set of papers were the adoption registration forms of similar nature.

Gravity pulled me into a chair and I pressed my fist to my lips, inhaling sharply.

“Narcissa handled most of the information,” Molly pointed at the filled out boxes from the legal documents. “Narcissa, Remus Lupin, Dumbledore, and I have signed as witnesses-” Dumbledore? “- and all that’s left… is for you to fill out your spots and for Sirius to sign.”

“I-” I swallowed, a funny feeling, like a whole egg was trying to push down my throat. “How-?”

“Sirius is your godfather, Harry. Your parents wanted him to raise you if something ever happened to them. Lucius… he did _something_ to convince the Minister. I don’t know what he did- something corrupt, no doubt. But everything here is legal. Sirius’ has a clean record and is going through rigorous therapy; once he’s of sound mind and body, he can sign these papers if he so wishes.” Molly set down a quill and an ink pen by the papers. “Do you want this, Harry? We won’t have the papers submitted without your consent.”

“ _Yes…_ ” I bit my lips, pressure building up at the back of my eyes. “Yes yes _yes_ … I-... I want-... How can this-? Is…? Am I dreaming? I-...” My vision blurred and I’m pulled into an embrace. A hand lays on my head and I just… broke.

Thirteen years. Thirteen years and the seeds I have planted are finally bearing fruit. 

Sirius is free. Pettigrew is now under the constant hunt of the Ministry. Sirius… Sirius might actually adopt me; I never planned for it… but to have him as my guardian…

No more Dursley. No more rueing the arrival of summer. No more screaming, name-calling, and no more _them_.

I can save Sirius.

I sniffed, pulling away from Molly and drying my eyes with my sweater sleeve. I rolled my shoulders, gaining some composure and, with a heartfelt smile, Molly guided me through everything I had to sign or fill out. I’m unsure who the attorney that was used for the muggle paperwork, but Molly insisted that I didn’t worry about the details.

She wrapped up the papers in the brown parchment once the ink had dried, storing them away for safekeeping. I sniffed again until Molly handed me a napkin so I could clean my nose. The moment I threw the tissue in the trash, two arms hooked under mine.

“And now Harry,” Gred smirked over me.

“Since you’re gonna be adopted, let’s celebrate,” Forge continued with a matching smirk.

“ _By making your hair glow!”_ They finished in unison, dragging me up the stairs as Molly shouted behind them.

“Make sure to clean up your mess!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Gred shouted over his shoulder. He and his brother chuckled the entire way, pushing me into the bathroom with the two bottles at hand. “Careful about getting the stuff in your nose.”

“Some bloke did and now his nostrils are like beacons at midnight.” George helpfully explained and closed the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I looked at the bottles and chuckled. I might as well see if this stuff will make my hair glow scorpion blue.

I love my friends.

...

And yes, my hair did glow scorpion blue for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how adoption works so that's why I kept the documents vague. From what I have seen on google, witnesses and lawyers are needed for documents. Besides that... I'm absolutely clueless.
> 
> This book is nearly done! Next chapter is a very special one that will reveal... something that will affect Harry's actions in the future.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads-up: Some information in the bottom author's note.

“This is the last time I let you pick out our next book, Hermione,” I grumbled as the worst romance book before the 21st century laid rather innocently on my lap. This demonic _thing_ makes Satan look like an innocent bunny and this is the first time in this current life… that I want to set a book on fire. In fact, I hate this thing so much that I refused to even open my copy from the moment we got the books! There is even dust collecting on the cover because I wouldn’t even put it in my _bag_.

It would just taint the purity of my other precious novels.

“Oh for goodness sake, Harry! I know you’re a boy and don’t care much for romance, but _Romeo and Juliet_ is a classic!” Hermione huffed, crowding with the other girls in the club as they giggled over the sickly sweet lines that Romeo utters to Juliet.

Yeah, we got out-voted almost 2:1. I would say I pity the Creevey brothers but they were talked into voting for the books by the girls.

“I _do_ like romance, Mione, but I only like _good_ romances. Not this… this…” I made vague hand gestures to the book containing one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. If we were going to read one of his plays why wasn’t it _Macbeth_ or… actually, I have yet to encounter a Shakespeare play that I liked.

How can anyone even remotely like this stupid play? The pair fall in love in the span of a night, get married the next day and then kill themselves in three days. Apparently, one day and a night of sex equates enough “love” to make them want to kill themselves!

Oh, and Juliet is 13.

I looked at the group of girls in the room. The 13-year-old girls giggling and awwing over the play while ignoring me. The irony of it all.

Yeah no, I still don’t get the appeal. The fact that even when I used to be a girl this play made me want to vomit, burn my copy in high school, and vow to never have a boyfriend who dared so much as claim that they would die without me. Who the bloody hell told Hermione about this book- nevermind, I forgot she has muggle cousins.

Was this play even supposed to be considered a romance?

“I think it’s romantic~” Lavender cooed, hugging the book close to her. “They can not dream to be apart from each other, so they must join each other in eternal slumber!”

“Need I remind everyone in this room that Juliet is 13?!” I squawked. “No one should even be dating at that age, let alone getting married or consummating said marriage!”

None of the girls listened to me, well besides Luna. But Luna didn’t seem to care much for the book anyway. Every time I saw her with the book, she read it upside down and I think backwards too. Now Luna had replaced the play for _The Quibbler_.

“Quibbler?” Luna offered to Blaise, rather pleased with herself with Blaise almost pouncing on her to grab a copy. “My father made a rather excellent article about how many Americans believe to be ruled by lizard people. We believe them to be Forked-Tongued Vyvreino, they can shapeshift when they eat fingernails.”

“Anything is better than that book, Harry _please_ pick the next book, mate,” Blaise begged, shoving his face into _The Quibbler_ and reading said article with enthusiasm.

I crossed my arms over my chest and sank in my chair. “No one should have to die because they are separated from their lover. That’s not love.”

It was utterly ridiculous that _this_ is what many people think of when the concept of romance is brought up. I wouldn’t want the person I love to die because I’m dead, and they shouldn’t want the same either. It would be the same as me willingly going to Voldemort during my 6th year of Hogwarts because Draco becomes a Death Eater-

Wait… wait a minute. Why was _Draco_ the first example my mind came up with?

My spine straightened and I looked at the people in the room, thinking about what I perceived my reaction would be if they died. For most of the people here, I feel upset at the idea of their deaths, but only Luna and Hermione bring a sense of… of discomfort to the thought of losing them. Something in the pit of my stomach boiled with rage at the idea of the girls even being hurt, the desire to rip off heads in vengeance. 

But losing Draco… even stopping being friends with him because of what may happen in the future…

My toes tightly curled in my shoes and my tongue painfully pressed against the roof of my mouth, pinching the muscle. When I tried to inhale, it felt like my lungs were already full, causing my chest and shoulders to shake as my breath fought against my body.

Draco has always been the pillar of support for me at Hogwarts. Someone who I knew if circumstances were different... if I… possessed no knowledge of my past life, I would be sharing with him every secret of my life. Him not being around… the thought _hurts_. My mind wanted to reject even thinking of the possibility, pushing the idea faster than I have ever pushed Snape during my lessons. Utter and complete rejection.

Could it be that-

No… Nononono. _Bad_. Stop.

‘Don’t think about this brain, stop thinking about it,’ I scolded myself mentally. But eventually, I’m going to see Draco after this and remind myself how- ‘ _Nooooo, brain staph what you are doing-_ Why am I speaking in Parseltongue in my head?’

I crossed one leg over the other with my knees close together. The position was uncomfortable, but I didn’t care much as I squeaked out. “What should we read as our final book of the year?” I need this distraction, and to stop thinking about it.

I need to stop thinking about the absurd possibility that I might have feelings for Draco.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

‘There must be a mistake,’ I thought to myself, stabbing my fork into some vegetables. I rested my cheek against my fist, staring past Blaise’s head and trying to understand what is going on. I take a bite of the tasteless meal, closing my eyes with a long sigh through my nose. My mind would not cease their stupid thoughts. ‘It’s just that “book” messing with my head, that’s all. I refuse to accept that I’m starting to have a crush on Draco-”

“Hey, Harry-!”

“Gah!” I jumped from my seat, hand tightly clutching my chest and I bent down to still my beating heart. My eyes shifted to glare at the person who both gave me a heart attack but is also the ghost haunting my thoughts. My voice came out in a wheezed squeak. “Would you kindly warn me before you loudly announce your presence?”

Draco blinked, looked down at himself, then back up to me. “I’ve been here the entire time.” He pointed at my plate with his fork, one corner of his lip turned upwards in a smirk. “You’ve been aiming your fork at the peas, missing, then putting the fork in your mouth for the last minute.”

I scanned my plate to confirm that, yes I had peas with the rest of my dinner. My eyes also confirmed that, also yes, the volume of said vegetable has not changed ever since I became lost in thought.

“Sit down before you make yourself look more like a dunderhead,” Draco said, putting his hand on my shoulder and pushing down until my butt reconnected with my seat. “You okay? Your shoulder is super tense. Pull a muscle?”

Whatever you do, Harry, do _not_ look at him in the eyes. 

“Harry?”

Out of pure instinct, my head turned so I faced Draco- bloody hell I’m looking at his eyes. I tried to relax my shoulders, but by doing so a sharp pain ran over my left shoulder and rooted at the spot between it and my neck.

“Yeah?” I rolled my neck and then pressed my hand on my neck, making it look like I’m scratching an itch. 

“Something happened?” Draco’s smirk dropped and he leaned forward, causing me to lean back by pure nature. “I know you’re doing a lot after classes. You look stressed.”

“Oh, um… we discussed _Romeo and Juliet_ in the club today and it’s not something I could recommend to you,” I paused so Blaise could let out an annoyed groan. I continued, “It’s just… exactly how long does it take for someone to fall in love with a person?”

Draco shrugged and took a sip of his pumpkin juice. “Not my forte, Harry. Mother and father were arranged to be married and it took them -according to mother- a couple years before the love between them even sparked.” He crossed his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. “Guess it depends. Why? How long did it take for the characters in the book to fall in love?”

Draco took another sip of pumpkin juice.

I blinked, seeing an opportunity. “They met at a party and were married within twenty-four hours.”

Draco was now making hilariously concerning noises and pumpkin juice dribbled down his chin. 

Pansy cackled and I wished I could join her, but I was a bit preoccupied watching Draco doing a very accurate representation of Sansa on a bad day. He picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, then stared at me with his expression never changing except his mouth was now closed. I responded by simply pulling my teacup to my lips, and taking a long, obnoxious sip of my green tea. My eyes also moved away so I wasn’t looking at him.

“Whoever you have a crush on, Harry,” Draco started and I curled my fingers around my cup. “Do not get any ideas or else I’ll start calling you ‘Potter’ for the rest of the school year.”

“Dare you to, Malfoy.” Now it was my turn to smirk when the blond boy bristled. He let out a huff and turned his nose away from me. I had this weird urge to poke his nose.

I need to talk to someone about this crush. It’s uncomfortable and it makes me want to punch something to get my mind to focus.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

Turns out that “someone” was Luna.

After dinner, I was able to easily pluck her out of our Gryffindor group and led her to the hallway which held the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. Not many students hang out in this area, Helena Ravenclaw slowly floating back and forth the hallway explaining why.

Helena, also known as the Grey Lady, greeted Luna with a faint dip of her head.

“Hello there, my friend, Harry, wanted to talk to me about something important,” Luna explained and took a seat on a window ledge. I joined her, looking over said ledge to make sure we weren’t going to fall just by sitting here. Helena gave me a flat look then floated off.

“Rude.” My tone was equally flat. I reached into my bag and pulled out two textbooks, setting the lighter of the two on top of Luna’s lap. “To make people think we are studying…”

“It is a useful tactic, people are most honest when they think no one is listening.” Luna opened to a random page then focused on me, her hands idly playing with her butterbeer cork necklace. “You have something you want to tell me but not Draco or Hermione?”

“It’s about Draco, actually,” I said and gulped. I clenched and unclenched my hands, all I wanted to do right now was chew on my lower lip and turn away. I wanted to shut off my mind and practice Occlumency. Literally anything but talk about my feelings.

But Luna continued to watch me with infinite patience.

I picked the wrong person if I wanted a distraction.

“I… like Draco.”

“In what way?” Luna’s expression never changed.

“You know…” My back slowly began to hunch and my eyes trailed to the textbook. Transfiguration, of course it’s Transfigurations.

She gave me a slow blink, her smile becoming warmer despite her lips not moving. “I’m afraid I don’t. There are many ways to like someone or something. I like strawberry custard-”

Must make note that Luna likes strawberry custard.

“-but it’s not the same as how I like you.”

“Uhhhh… Luna, how exactly do you like-?” I stopped mid-sentence and pinched my lips into a scowl. “Cheeky. I should have gone to Neville instead.”

I sighed, rubbing my eyes under my glasses.

“I think I like Draco in that… that kind that makes you anxious to be around them, even though it’s the most annoying feeling on Earth because you’ve known them for years but all of the sudden you just look into their grey eyes and instead of grey you’re looking at an ocean on a stormy day.” _Breathe._ “How you suddenly want to be around them all the time even though you’re already around them all the time because you are in the same dorm room as them. How I don’t even know if what I’m feeling is just because he’s my best friend or that I _love_ him! Not love as in ‘oh, he’s my dearest friend’ but instead ‘I want to be his partner’ type love and it’s not right!”

I fully turned to face her.

“First of all, we’re both _guys_ , Luna! Now, I’m all for people loving whoever they want, but this is different. Draco is the heir to a noble house, a noble _conservative_ house that is still prejudiced to anyone not pureblood. How do you tell someone you like them when they’re probably- excuse me, definitely being raised with the same moral values and beliefs! Is- is this even legal?! Aren’t there countries where even thinking like this could result in imprisonment or being killed?!”

I threw an arm out as if I am trying to display a point like it’s physically there.

“For all I know, he might be engaged already to someone in this school!”

Closing the textbook I slid off the ledge and stood up, pacing. I didn’t want to sit, I couldn’t sit. Sitting made me want to pull at my hair and scream.

“Shouldn’t I like girls? Why Draco of all people?! Sure his smile always looks like he has something amusingly dumb to say and he always walking with the confidence of a… well he walks like he’s a strutting peacock and I have to give him props for that. And he’s grown so much as a person too. When we first met my first instinct was to smack him upside his bloody head because… well, he was just a bully! Actually, I had hit him… several times in fact.”

I paused my pacing long enough to chuckle fondly at the memory.

“But he’s different from that smarmy 11-year-old now… he’s matured in his own way. He’s my best friend that I both trust with my life but not with my secrets. I just… I don’t know. I don’t know why it had to be him.”

“Do you want to be attracted to girls, Harry?” Luna finally said after I stopped to take a breath.

I froze, staring at the dreamy-eyed girl. My eyes trailed over her figure and my back straightened. That is an excellent question and specifically for reasons that Luna would not understand.

I’m… I’m mentally a girl, a _straight_ girl who liked men and could only see herself dating a man. But biologically, hormonally, and in any given definition of the existing term, I’m a boy now. In a way… I was always worried about this happening; that I would find guys to be more attractive than girls. Don’t get me wrong, I love this body and would never change it. But a part of me wishes that I could have erased all memories of being a girl just so I didn’t have to deal with this. 

Things would have been different if all of this took place in the 21st century, when not following the social and historical norms for dating and marriages were met with acceptance. This is the 90s and I don’t even know how this country responds to people with different sexual orientations, let alone the wizarding world. 

Would… would Draco be disgusted if he knew? Would I lose him as a friend just by… by feeling like this?

And of course, back to Luna’s question. I glanced back at her and felt nothing. She’s a beautiful young woman, intelligent, witty, and wise, but when I picture her… _any_ girl to be precise, and picture myself dating them.

Nothing.

Actually, there’s a chill running up my spine but besides that? Nothing. 

“No… I truly don’t think I want to.”

“There’s still time,” Luna reached her hand out and I took it, letting myself be pulled into her hug. She patted my back in an absent minded pattern. “You may find yourself surprised when you finally tell him how you feel.”

“Heh… _if_ I tell him.” I finally sat back down on the ledge, lightly bumping my head against the stone support. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I can promise that this will never reach Draco’s ears.”

“... Why are you being so specific?”

Luna didn’t respond.

“Please promise me that this will not reach Draco _or_ our friends’ ears.”

“I promise.”

“And they will not see it in writing.”

“Yes, I promise.”

I nodded, satisfied that this secret was kept. Just as I returned my head to its correct posture, Helena floated by and a chill ran up my spine. She didn’t look at us, make an expression, or say a word. She just floated along aimlessly with no real path for her to go, similar to how death is often not something you can decide.

Poor woman… When the time comes for me to destroy the Diadem, I’ll tell her.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**SIRIUS BLACK MAKES FULL RECOVERY**

_Despite the odds stacked against him, Sirius Black will be discharged from St. Mungo's hospital by the end of April, according to staff officials. Staff worked endlessly throughout the months restoring Black’s mind after thirteen years in Azkaban prison under false charges. It is rumored in St. Mungos that the promise of being reunited with his godson, Harry Potter, encouraged Black to cooperate with staff and work to a full recovery._

_“[Sirius Black] kept relatively sane during his imprisonment,” Said a nurse who wished to remain anonymous. “He always knew he was innocent and that’s what kept him going.”_

_During his time at St. Mungo’s, Black had received several visits from the Ministry of Magic including Minister Fudge. Much of what has been happening between Black and the Ministry of Magic has remained confidential. A representative of the Ministry of Magic reported to the Daily Prophet that Black and the Ministry have settled on an undisclosed sum for Black’s false imprisonment. At this time, Sirius Black has not been permitted to give any comments on the matter._

_As the last male heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black, Sirius Black will inherit all property and assets related to his family. Black and a representative for Gringotts Wizarding Bank have met on several occasions within the last two months discussing finances._

_More Information coming soon._

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

**HARRY POTTER ADOPTED**

_As of May 25th, 1994, the Ministry of Magic has granted Sirius Black full legal custody of boy-who-lived Harry Potter and permitted Black to adopt Harry Potter as his own._

_In November, Black had been taken to St. Mungo’s to be healed after thirteen-years of imprisonment in Azkaban under false charges. Black was quickly cleared of all charges shortly after being taken into custody, thus giving him the legal right to file his assets and documents. While he was making a swift recovery, behind-the-scenes, Hogwarts’ Headmaster Albus Dumbledore worked with numerous sources to process the paperwork needed for the adoption. While the other sources wish to remain anonymous, Dumbledore gave a statement._

_“During his first year of school, Harry Potter and I made an agreement. Should I find a home that is safer than the home he lives in now, I would help make the arrangements to let him live there.” Dumbledore followed this statement with “While many may disagree with the [rushed] decision, I firmly believe that Harry will be safer, happier, and healthier, under the care of his father’s best friend.”_

_Over the last three years, it has become common knowledge at Hogwarts that Potter was being raised by muggle relatives on his mother’s side. Though protected, Potter has displayed reluctance to return to his relatives. He was reported having spent holidays at friend’s homes and having spent last summer under the care of the Weasley family. When asked to comment, Potter seemed to have found the information to be new to him. Instead of speaking, Potter took the time to grasp a friend’s hands and jump about the room, making noises of joy._

_“Harry’s relationship with his [muggle] family isn’t the best.” Neville Longbottom, one of Potter’s friends, spoke for him. “They don’t like magic… so they treat him differently than their son, Harry’s cousin.”_

_The Daily Prophet was denied further questioning by a Hogwarts Professor Minerva McGonagall, who acted as the adult supervisor for the interview._

_Harry Potter will be moving into Sirius Black’s residence once the school year ends for Hogwarts. Black has reportedly been making progress restoring the Black family home and working with Aurors to ensure any dark magic left behind by the family long-since gone is swiftly removed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm pretty sure many of you saw the pairing a mile away. But yes, Harry has developed lovey-dovey feelings for Draco. I always knew that it would be Harry/Draco and worked with that. The hardest part about this relationship is that I, personally, have never been "in love" before and had to use Harry's views on what a crush sounds like based on how I see my friends but dialed up a notch. Everyone's definition of a crush/being in love is different, and mine is the anxious fear of just losing that person; not even being rejected but the fear that one day, they may not be there anymore. So, each moment is a treasure.  
> Please also be aware that I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community besides being an ally. I have no idea what it's like for someone in that community to come out to their loved ones, nor do I know what it was like before non-hetero marriages were legalized in most of the western world. A lot of how Harry's friends are gonna react in the future are based off of my own friend circle, hybridized with time-period perspectives, and the characters' actual personalities. So, while I apologize in advance if this isn't an accurate representation of the LGBTQ+ community, it's also not what I'm aiming for. It's a self-insert story and this is just how I personally would have responded to being reborn as Harry.  
> Anyway, now that the heavy stuff is done with. Harry and Draco's relationships with each other will be explored in book 4. Thank you guys for respecting this story enough in the past to not always ask about ships and pairings and just letting the story evolve.  
> Stay tuned for next week for the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Best Doggo.
> 
> ... And yes, I have a strong disdain for Shakespeare's plays. The problem is that they are better off being seen on a stage, not analyzed in a classroom by 20+ bored teenagers.


	16. Chapter 16

‘What time is it? Summertime~ It’s our vacation~!’ I hummed to myself while packing for the end of the school year. The song came to me this morning and I just had to get it out of my system before it got put on mental replay for three months.

“Someone’s happy for once,” Draco commented with a smirk, closing his trunk with his typical slam. 

“How could I not? I’m _finally_ leaving the Dursleys'.”

“Right… are you sure you want to live with Sirius Black?” He asked, turning away from his trunk so he could face me. “You are absolutely confident that he is safe for you to be around?”

“When have I ever _not_ been confident, Draco?” I scanned Draco’s face. He bit his lips and looked away, scratching his neck. He’s been making this face ever since news broke out that Sirius was adopting me. “I’m going to be okay.”

“Well… I’m still telling mother that the minute you express discomfort, we are going to get you,” Draco huffed, placing a hand on his hip, and pointing a finger at me with his other hand. “And you _better_ tell us if anything goes wrong, Harry.”

“Yes, yes, I can promise you that I will be completely safe and that I will tell you everything that happens. I’ll even take a picture of my bedroom once I’ve settled in the new environment.”

Draco frowned. “You’re not going to be putting anything weird in your room, right?”

“I’m going to be decorating it if that’s what you mean.” I took this moment to enjoy just how many facial expressions Draco can make through a single conversation. None of our other friends do this. Well… none that I have noticed… maybe I should pay more attention to how my friends react to the things I say and do. “What color ribbon should I wear?”

“Merlin… Wear the silver one if you’re concerned about something like _that_. You look fine anyway.” He reached over and pulled out said ribbon. “This one, the one mother picked out for your birthday.”

“I do remember this being attached to Sansa’s leg last summer.” I picked up the silver ribbon and tied it in its usual spot, feeling comfort in the familiar tug. “Is it even?”

Now it was my turn to smirk at the exasperated noise Draco was making. The smirk quickly dropped when he yanked said ponytail, removed the ribbon, and fixed it, finishing it all with a sharp pat of my shoulder. Ow. What’s with people and my shoulders?

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

At the end of breakfast and finding Lupin nowhere to be seen with the other teachers, I decided to check up on him.

I reached his office door and gave the wood three sharp raps. The Marauder’s map showed that Lupin was in the room but moving around at a rapid pace and unusual pattern. On the opposite end of the door, I heard a trunk being closed, followed by Lupin’s voice.

“Come in!”

I poked my head in and wasn’t all that surprised to find him packing for the summer, but I didn’t like the guilt washed over his eyes when he saw it was me. His entire demeanor changed, like he suddenly lost all of his cheer.

“Oh, hello Harry. I didn’t expect you to be here, thought you’d be with your friends.” Lupin said with a slight waver in his voice. Why would he be nervous around me when this year went rather smoothly? We even went through a whole year without a word of Lupin being a werewolf getting out-

No.

“You look upset, Professor. Is something wrong?” I asked, stepping in the room, and a cold feeling dropped in the pit of my stomach. 

Every teacher handles the end of the year differently. McGonagall leaves her office open. Very little about her environment changes, and she welcomes students with tea and biscuits, especially if they are graduating or are going to take her N.E.W.T.s class. Snape burns graduating students' papers and takes potions ingredients that would expire before September starts. I’m not sure about the others, but I can not think of a single professor that would clean their office entirely… unless...

“Well, you see Harry… I’m resigning. You’re a smart lad, you should be-,” He waves his wand, and his quill set magically packs itself, “-able to take a guess as to why.”

“You’re a werewolf,” I respond without missing a beat. “Your monthly absences and the essay Professor Snape gave, they acted like clues.”

“Right you are, I’d give you points for Slytherin if this was class time.” Lupin gave me a wink, his eyes seemed heavier than before. “Unfortunately, these ‘clues’ as you worded it did not go unnoticed by some students... and even more so by parents who received letters from their children asking about my absences. While none of the students that figured it out seemed to mind, in fact, Miss Granger took up my entire afternoon asking me questions… while scolding me for the possible dangers I could have brought.”

That’s totally a Hermione thing.

“And Mr. Longbottom even approached me with extremely kind words,” Lupin said with a tight swallow. “I had received a couple of letters from angry parents, and no doubt many more went to Dumbledore.”

“But- but you’re the best professor we’ve had for this class! And you haven’t hurt anyone either and you would never go near a student on a full moon! Sir, you can’t leave Hogwarts, you’re an amazing teacher and I don’t think we’ll ever get a professor as good as you!”

The next several years at this rate are going to consist of a hidden criminal and… _Umbridge._

“Harry, you must understand this: when people are afraid, they are no longer beings of reason. The Ministry of Magic and years of chosen information have made it difficult for trust to even be built. Even so, I’m grateful for this year and to be back in a place I called home for the longest time.” Lupin’s head hung low. He chuckled softly. “It was through Dumbledore’s kindness that I was able to attend as a student, and again, his kindness is what allowed me to have this job. Besides that fact, Harry, I am quite used to going from one job to the next.”

“You _shouldn’t_ be used to it though! Why should you be punished for something that wasn't your fault?” I threw my arms out like I was presenting something to Lupin. I’m starting to realize I do that a lot. “You didn’t shove your arm into a werewolf’s mouth and say ‘bite me’, and you’re a good person who’s just trying to live your life-!”

I stopped when Lupin’s hand landed on my shoulder. My mouth closed with a _click_ of my jaw.

“Calm your anger, Harry. I understand you’re upset but this is the world we live in right now. Things will get better, especially when Hogwarts is filled with bright young minds like your friends and you.”

“Where will you be going then?”

“I’ll be returning to my cottage in Yorkshire.” He held up his hand when I opened my mouth. “I do not have any intentions of moving in with you and Sirius. He already asked me the question last month, and my answer was ‘no’.”

My shoulders slumped.

Lupin rolled his eyes good-naturedly, ruffling my hair, and unintentionally undoing my ponytail. “Your father acted the same way when he learned about my condition. In fact, it was because of my condition that inspired your father and our friends to become animagus. Werewolves are only dangerous to people, Harry, and so your father and Sirius being larger animals kept me in check.”

Even still, I reached over and hugged the man. Lupin became still for only a moment, returning the embrace with a sigh. “Don’t be a stranger though, Professor. I’m positive that there are plenty of people here that would be upset if you vanished from the face of the planet, myself included.”

I heard Lupin swallow heavily, and his arms around me tighten for just a second. He patted my back so that I would release him. He picked up my ribbon which laid innocently on the ground and handed it to me, his mouth breaking into a small smile.

“Thank you, Harry. You’ve made this year unique.”

“No, sir. Thank _you_ for giving us a good year.”

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“Mr. Potter.”

“Eh?” I turned on my heel, coming face-to-face with Snape. “Another lesson, sir?” This was bad timing if that was the case. We leave Hogwarts this afternoon. I don’t want to have a headache the entire train ride, that'll just leave me motion sick.

“Say goodbye to your friends and then come to the Headmaster’s office. You will _not_ be riding the train this year. Your stuff has already been delivered to your new home, and your owl awaits your presence.”

“...Huh?”

“To answer your not-question: Sirius Black,” Snape hissed the word out with contempt. “Is required to meet you at the Ministry of Magic. The Headmaster decided it would be best to cut the wait-time short rather than you encountering your muggle relatives.”

I slowly nodded with a raised eyebrow. Okay, this is unorthodox but whatever.

My friends took the parting rather well, especially when I told them that it was because I was meeting with Sirius. Hermione gave me her number so I could call her when I figured out if Sirius had a phone or not, while the rest of my friends just requested letters at some point. 

When I climbed the many… many steps to reach Dumbledore’s office, Snape was waiting for me by the gargoyle. 

“Our lessons will resume in September. However, that does not mean you can slack over the summer. I may… show up to check on your progress,” Snape said curtly, putting a hand on my shoulder and lightly pushing me into the office. The room was just as chaotic as it was last year. Except for this time, there were more books scattered around, and Sansa was perched at a vantage point.

Sansa screeched and took off, landing on my offered arm and preened my hair in greetings. Snape had gathered a noticeable distance between himself and the massive bird resting on my arm.

“You have a loyal bird, Harry,” Dumbledore’s soft voice echoed throughout the room. I looked over to find him at his desk, watching with amusement and not bothering to stand from his seat. “She wouldn’t accept any food I offered her, and only responded to me when I talked about you. Treat her well. A bond that strong is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“Yes, sir,” I sounded _way_ too much like Snape right there. To be honest, I think Sansa was just crabby because it’s getting too warm for her again.

“Have a good summer, Harry.”

And that was it. No spiel about how my actions have consequences or how things would be better next year. No heart-to-heart about how he was sorry about the Dursleys and that he hopes this makes amends. As much as this thought makes me feel guilty, but also no mention of me being reincarnated… Snape has kept his word the entire year.

No more words were exchanged as I threw down the floo powder and shouted out “Ministry of Magic!”

Once the green fire vanished, the once warm atmosphere of Dumbledore’s office was replaced with the suffocatingly cold one of the Ministry of Magic’s main room. Sansa flew out first, disgusted at the fact she was now covered in soot. I blinked a few times to gather my bearings, but when I fully understood what I was looking at, I ran.

“Sirius!”

I rushed to the man and wrapped my arms around him. One of his arms was around my upper back while the other held my head, almost subconsciously placed in a way where my ribbon would not come undone from the jostle. His scratchy face kissed the top of my head, and I felt a choked sob threatening to erupt from me. I nuzzled my face into his shoulder in a futile attempt to hide it.

_Clunk click-click clunk_

I hiccuped once, only once. 

The next noise that came out of my throat was a threatening growl.

“You had to ruin the moment?” Sirius questioned someone to our right; something I could only gather because his chin moved in that direction.

“Sorry, Black. This will look good in the papers tomorrow though!” A cheerful sounding man responded unapologetically. I pushed my head against Sirius’s hand so I could obtain the freedom to glare at whoever it was. Just some man dressed in smart wizard robes holding a camera. The man lowered his hold of the camera, skin becoming a few shades lighter when he finally noticed my green eyes -no doubt glowing due to lighting- and quickly tipped his hat at me. “A thousand apologies, Harry Potter. Didn’t mean any offence.”

Well, I’m offended.

“Rude.” That was all I was going to say on the matter and promptly returned my face to Sirius’ shoulder. What was this cologne smell? Pine?

“Alright, Fudge, you got your picture. Can I leave with my godson now?” I could feel Sirius’ body tense up. “Neither Harry nor I would like to comment to the _Daily Prophet."_

Fudge’s voice came out quickly, panicky, like he was worried he had made a mistake. “Oh, yes, yes you may go. The car is waiting for you outside. I trust everything is satisfactory?”

Sirius patted my back, and I let him go. He kept an arm wrapped around my shoulder as he led me away from the men. “Yes, perfectly.”

We didn’t speak until we were in the car. Sansa was nowhere to be seen, but she’s bound to turn up at Number 12 Grimmauld place eventually. Sirius looked at me with a slightly bowed head, his smile screaming embarrassment. 

“I’m so sorry about that, Harry. Fudge he-” Sirius rubbed his face, lightly tugging on his lower jaw in the process. “-he wanted to let the Wizarding World know that he was keeping his word. I just wanted you to be comfortable.”

“I’m not upset with you, Sirius, I’m upset at _them_ for making this a public spectacle.” I crossed my arms over my chest, sinking down in the seat much to the driver’s dismay. He was a wizard, based on the wand sitting in the sun visor above his head. “But if it lets you go out in public freely…”

“You’re a good kid.” Sirius jerked his head towards his window. “We’re going to your aunt and uncle’s place first, tell them you’ll no longer be returning to their home. We’re taking the muggle route because we’ll be doing some shopping afterwards.”

I nodded, watching the cars pass by my window, and remained silent on the car ride to Number 4 Privet Drive.

The driver parked the car on the sidewalk in front of the house. Sirius got out first, his side being closest to the sidewalk. He ignored Mrs. Poole’s questioning gaze from her yard, checking both sides of the empty road then walked around the back of the car, opening up my door. I quickly took off my school robes so I was just in the muggle-looking uniform of button-up, sweater, tie, and trousers. 

Sirius raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing about it. I only just then noticed that he was in non-wizarding clothes either. A pinstripe suit jacket, black formal vest with a gold chain attached -pocket watch?-, mahogany red button-up, and black trousers with black oxford shoes. 

I got out of the car and spotted Mrs. Poole suddenly became _very_ interested in what was happening.

“Come on,” Sirius urged me around the car, resting his hand between my shoulders and walked with me to the door. He reached up and knocked on the door in three quick, rapid successions. 

Petunia opened the door, and I wished I had a camera for her expression.

“Y-y-you!” She backed away from the door, fear in her eyes like a cornered rabbit.

“Hello, Petunia. Yes, it’s m-m-me.” Sirius chuckled, keeping his smile relaxed. “May we come in?”

Petunia didn’t get the chance to answer before Sirius and I were inside and the door was closed. The floor shook as Vernon stomped over.

“Petunia, dear who was at the doo- _WHY ARE YOU IN THOSE CLOTHES?!_ Who is this man?!” Vernon’s verbal whiplash left me unsure as to what I’m supposed to say, so I’ll just say what first came to mind.

“Didn’t have time to change,” Way to go with the answers, Harry. “And this is Sirius Black-” Vernon’s face started to turn purple with I think anger and fear? “-my godfather.”

“And legal guardian to Harry now,” Sirius finished with his voice laced with satisfaction. “I’ve been cleared of all charges, should see it in the papers soon.”

“Why are you here?” Petunia hissed. “It’s bad enough we’ve gotten visits from others of your kind.”

“I’m here to inform you that Harry will be living with me in London. I wanted to make a formality so you didn’t have to spend time at King’s Cross waiting for a nephew that would never return. You’re welcome.”

I snorted.

Vernon heard that, evident by the fire in his eyes when he looked at me. “What’s so funny, boy?!”

“Sirius,” I replied back while jabbing my thumb in the direction of said man.

“Did you leave behind anything you need to grab, Harry?” Sirius asked me finally.

“Nope, grabbed everything when I left with Phantom.”

“Good… good… Could you wait outside, Harry? I want to have a word with your aunt and uncle.”

I slowly nodded, something within my gut told me to listen to what he said and headed outside. When I did I heard Vernon ordering Dudley to do the same and soon, my cousin joined me. I shifted away, mostly to make room for him, but also so I could listen from the partially open living room window.

“This money is for raising Harry for the last 13 years. As horrible as you may have been-”

I heard Petunia scoff in indignation.

“-you did take him in when you were not obligated to, even with Dumbledore’s orders. Save it, spend it, put your bloated pig of a son in physical training because that child is dangerously overweight, I don’t care. But understand this…”

Dudley pushed me so he could also hear, luckily I didn’t fall but I did shoot him a look.

“You are no longer a part of Harry’s life from today onward. I don’t want to see, hear, or learn you have been around him. Until he is a legal adult in both our world and yours, _I_ am deciding this. If I catch any of you near him…” Sirius stopped talking, leaving the only sounds to be Petunia’s whimpers and Vernon’s incomprehensible sounds he makes when enraged. 

“Well, Dudley, looks like I’m not going to see you for some time.” I nudged him in the stomach, and he shoved my arm away like it was poison.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Where do you think you’re going?” Dudley asked, looking me up and down and only just now realizing what I’m wearing. “Why are you dressed like a private school student?”

“Because I am, Dud. Remember, magic? I am going to school in a _castle_. What you do to me during the summer is less than a mosquito bite compared to what I deal with on a weekly basis,” I say while putting a hand on my hip. “You know… I wonder if things had been different, would we have been friends?”

Dudley opened his mouth when Sirius opened the door. Sirius motioned his hand towards the car and started to head towards the vehicle.

“Well, that’s my cue. See you, Dudley. You know… you’re lucky to have a mum and dad.” Even if those parents are not the greatest adults out there.

We returned to the car, and I slumped in my seat, much to the annoyance of our driver again. Sirius rested his cheek against his fist, looking out his window with one leg bouncing. I crossed one leg over the other, tucking my hands close to me with not much wanting to leave my mouth. Every time I took a peek at my godfather, he was always watching the outside world with fascination, sometimes focusing heavily on billboards and shops' windows. 

Sirius broke the silence first. “We’re um… gonna be going to a few shops one of your friend’s mum recommended to me. The Muggle-born girl, Hermione. Pick things out for your room and some supplies for the house.”

“Ok…”

Sirius didn’t look at me, but he reached his hand out and blindly patted the air until he found my head, holding it affectionately. “Pick out anything you see that you want, don’t worry about the cost. I’ll also need your input on things. Your friend Ron added your friend’s group letter-”

“When did my friends send you a group letter?”

“About a week into March, they were adamant about making sure I understood what I was getting myself into. Anyway, he said you hate floral smells.” Sirius continued, taking my interruption in stride.

“...” I looked Sirius up and down. “Wait, how much money did the Ministry of Magic even give you? _The Daily Prophet_ mentioned it with enough emphasis to make me notice.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But-”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I’m going to worry about it.

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

I’m still worried about it, especially with how much we actually bought.

“This bag of yours is brilliant, Bambi,” Sirius praised as he watched me pull out bag after bag after… well… this was just the cleaning supplies for the majority of the house. I haven’t even touched the stuff that goes to my room yet.

“I’m surprised I was even able to purchase this thing.” I huffed at the bags, readjusting my hair and looking around the house.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Never thought I would get to be here so soon, let alone actually live it in until this day. It lived up to its name, that’s for sure. Dark and dreary, with furniture caked with dust and other-

I let out a series of coughs when Sirius accidentally bumped into a lamp.

There has got to be mold somewhere. I am so glad I convinced Sirius to let me grab some of the good respirator masks and goggles.

“My childhood home,” Sirius said with a scrunched face. “I ran away from home when I was 16, your dad and his family took me in. I never thought I would be back… but this was in my name, and I had to have a place of residency to take you in.”

“I think we can do something about this place.” My eyes wouldn’t leave the row of stuffed house-elf heads lining the staircase. Okay… those are going to be gone before I have friends over.

Sirius scratched the back of his neck. “I tried to clean in preparation for you, but it always seemed like when one place became neat, more dust and cobwebs took over. However, I was able to keep your room clean thanks to some charms.” 

“We’ll figure this out. I’m pretty good at cleaning.” I was about to roll up my sleeves to get to work when I spotted something old, wrinkly, and grouchy crouching behind the wooden stair rail. “Oh, hello.”

“Master has brought back Harry Potter…” Kreacher muttered more to himself, “Friend to blood traitors and mudbloods alike. Oh, how my mistress would weep to see pure blood tainted with the filth of-”

“ _ENOUGH!_ ” Sirius bellowed, the sudden volume making me jump. “You do not speak to Harry in such a way! He is part of this family and is your master now! Do not _EVER_ talk to Harry in such a way!”

I leaned away from Sirius with wide eyes, then looked back at Kreacher.

“Yes… master…” Kreacher whispered out with venom laced in his voice. He gave me the same disgusted look and slinked off elsewhere.

“Never liked that elf,” Sirius growled and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry about him, he’s old and was loyal to my mother to a fault. I’m… well, probably the only person in my family that actually can appreciate what is past my nose.”

“Uh-huh,” I squeaked out, clearing my throat. “My um… my room?”

Sirius’ eyes lit up and led me upstairs, shooting a glare at Kreacher when we walked past him. I kept my head down, already formulating a plan to fix this tense relationship between human and house-elf. I’m starting to wonder if this is a pureblood thing to be rude and cruel to their elves because I am wholeheartedly not fine with this.

When we reached the room, it was marginally cleaner compared to the rest of the house. The wallpaper was still peeling off, and the lighting was still poor due to the oil lamps. However, the bed and frame, the green and silver curtains -free of pests-, and a desk with a chair all looked brand new. Sansa was perched on the head of the bed frame, happily screeching at the sight of me and my trunk rested at the foot of the bed, untouched. I took off my bag and set it down on the floor so I could easily pull out stuff.

Honestly, the only part that bugged me about the room was just how dark and evil the room felt. Like a thousand bugs were waiting to crawl under my skin and lay eggs made of ice. A shiver trailed up my spine, and I rubbed my arms in an attempt to stop the feeling. I glanced at my godfather to see if he had any ideas for this predicament.

Sirius held up two bags, one full of cleaning supplies, and the other with tools. A bright smile plastered on his face and he said in an almost giddy voice. “Let’s get to work, we have a bookshelf to build and one last clean over. I have a wand now, so I’ll help get rid of any spells that may still be lingering.”

….. :3….. :3….. :3…..

“I’ll call for you when dinner is ready,” Sirius said as he closed my bedroom door, smiling the entire time.

I took a moment to admire our handiwork of the room. While it needed a fresh coat of paint -I’m thinking silverpoint grey so I can decorate more- and a fluffy rug, the dark magic that once wafted the room was now gone. My trunk now laid book-free, all of them finding homes alphabetized on a brand new bookshelf Sirius got me, my clothes were hanged and put away. 

On my bed laid a new bedding set. The duvet was a green galaxy, spelled to slowly rotate through star formations. The room itself smelled like lemon cleaning supplies, and I had a strawberry candle burning on my desk on a flame-proof dish. The candle was a housewarming gift from Narcissa, coming with a note where I could buy more of them if I wanted and an assurance that it was owl safe.

Sansa was more than happy to break in the new duvet for me, her head tucked close to her chest and snoozing away like a little star in a galactic sea. I love this sweet baby.

Stretching until my spine let out a _pop,_ I twirled on my heels and flopped onto the bed, Sansa not even bothered by it. Immediate satisfaction was granted as the softness of the duvet, under covers, and the mattress itself caused me to sink into plush.

Turning my head to the left, I stared at my wand which laid innocently on top of a pillow with a Beauty and the Beast pillowcase. The memory of picking out the pillow cover made me laugh, as Sirius tried so hard to get me to pick something either “manly” as he worded it or at least something more teenager-like. However, the squeak that came out of my mouth when I both discovered the pillowcase and realized it was the last one on the shelf, Sirius caved in immediately.

I reached out and grabbed my wand, looking at it with some interest.

‘I wonder… is this memory happy enough?’ I sat up and waved my wand, remembering the day with a light feeling welling up in my chest. “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

Silver wisps danced out of the tip and swirled around the room, congregating in the center of my room to take full mass. A silver fawn bleated and pranced around the room, defying gravity and solid objects, leaving behind a trail of mist. With another bleat, it leapt through the door and out of my sight.

A fawn… my _Patronus_ was a fawn.

“Fuuuu-”

“Harry?! Why is there a silver fawn in the kitchen?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of book 3. This was a wild ride trying to get done when I was working on it and now that I can present it in its full beauty, I'm happy. Oh, the song at the beginning of the chapter is from High School Musical 2.
> 
> Alright, so before people start asking when is book 4: I have no idea. I just started classes again, working on my Bachelor's and all, and I'm still getting used to online classes. I will be taking my time with is so I don't get burnt out. For a general idea of progress, I'm working on chapter 5 and that... might be a third way done? Honestly, based on my planned road-map, it might be the longest in the series. I dunno. Along with book 4, I'm editing and publishing bulk chapters of my very first fanfiction, so I'm not dead haha. Goblet of Fire is the one I'm most excited for because Harry is... well... kid has strong opinions the whole book.
> 
> As usual, thank you guys so much for taking the time to read my stories and giving it a chance. I know a lot of you readers don't usually read SI stories, but I'm grateful that you decided to give it a shot. I hope to see you lovely people in the next book whose title I'm still debating. I'd share my ideas but it would be a spoiler. :)


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